NCDA worried about COVID-19 stress as likely trigger for substance abuse

The National Council for Drug Abuse (NCDA) has sounded the alarm regarding the possibility that the Covid-19 crisis, a source of additional stress, could cause those seeking to break their substance abuse habit, to relapse, and others to develop the habit.

The NCDA has also pointed out that those who drink and smoke are more susceptible to the coronavirus as both can weaken the body.

Uki Atkinson, research analyst at the NCDA, speaking Tuesday on Television Jamaica’s Smile Jamaica, disclosed that already, some clients have reached out to the agency for help, expressing feelings of hopelessness and fearing that they will relapse.

“Substance use disorder is a highly ‘relapsable’ type of condition,” she explained.

She’s therefore appealing to family members and friends of such persons, “who you know are more likely to back into their old lifestyles.”

Executive Director of  the NCDA, Michael Tucker, is cautioning against using alcoholic beverages as a stress reliever during this period of  confinement.