Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has taken unprecedented steps in assuring the safety of the Commonwealth from the coronavirus. Businesses across the state have closed their doors and churches have been warned against gathering with notices from the police. However, liquor stores have been exempt from Beshear’s orders.
According to Substance Abuse Counselor Lisa Frost, this may be confusing to people who do not understand why alcohol is medically necessary. Frost said liquor stores are essential and closing them would increase the risk of individuals with alcoholism experiencing withdrawal.
“They can't just completely stop drinking,” Frost said. “It can cause them to go into seizures and potentially cause death. With the current strain already on medical facilities, it’s going to put even more pressure on our doctors and nurses.”
According to Frost, closing liquor stores would lead to more unnecessary hospital visits resulting in more COVID-19 exposure.
“For the individual that is going through alcohol withdrawals, that puts them at a higher risk to actually contract COVID-19 and that will just add to the problem.” she explained.
If individuals find themselves developing a dependency during this time of social distancing, Frost recommends calling the N-A-M-I hotline or joining an online AA meeting group.
