MAZE
According to the Oxford
Languages dictionary, it is:
1.
a vast construction where a network of rooms and galleries crisscross each other in such a way that it is difficult to find your way out.
2.
emaranhado de caminhos.
With these definitions in mind, it is not difficult to conclude that a maze is not one of the best places to enter.
But whether for adventure, or for other reasons, we sometimes get inside mazes.
OPEN DOORS TO AN OLD, WELL-KNOWN AND DANGEROUS MAZE.
With the psychological damage, such as anxiety and depression caused by the Covid 19 pandemic, an old, well-known, and dangerous maze ended up welcoming even more people than it used to: the maze of alcohol and drug consumption.
In all, according to the special edition of the Global Drug Survey on Covid-19, Brazil recorded a 17.2% increase in marijuana consumption and a 13.5% increase in alcohol consumption in 2020.
The survey data also show a 7.4% rise in cocaine use and a 12.7% increase in the use of anxiety medication, such as Diazepam and Clonazepam.
Another survey, essa carried out by the Brazilian Liver Institute (Ibrafig), shows that 55% of the Brazilian population has the habit of consuming alcoholic beverages, and 17.2% declare an increase in consumption during the pandemic, associated with severe anxiety episodes due to social isolation.
That’s where the danger lies…
INSIDE
THE MAZE
We all know that we live in difficult times regarding mental health – and not only because of the advent of the pandemic. But one problem is not solved by another. And problems can get even bigger when treated with the wrong medication.
VDid you know that, for example, cirrhosis of the liver has exceeded the number of deaths due to drunk driving and has become the leading cause of alcohol-related deaths in Brazil? This is only one of the damages, on a more critical level, that addiction can bring, but there are many other damages on many levels, such as distancing yourself from the people who love you most.
The worst part is that, just like in any other maze, getting out is not easy at all. But it is possible!
GETTING OUT OF THE MAZE
A Duke University study showed that more than 40% of our daily actions were not real decisions, but habits. Over time, habits have a lot of influence on our health, productivity, and happiness.
To get out of this maze, you must change your routine, seeking a reward similar to the one you had before.
According to the American journalist Charles Duhigg, author of the book The Power of Habit (which was among The New York Times bestsellers for more than twenty weeks), a smoker, for example, will only quit when he/she finds some activity to replace smoking that provides a similar “reward” as before.
He adds that some habits can cause a chain reaction. This is the case of physical activity, which leads to a change in other patterns.
By exercising, you eat better, wake up earlier, become less stressed, more patient… In other words, exercise is a key habit that triggers a general change.
The ways out exist.
And the possibilities can be amazing.
