4 Ways To Eat Healthier When Ordering Takeout
Eating healthy isn’t always easy when ordering takeaway from restaurants. Here are some tricks that can help you maintain control of what you eat.
The post 4 Ways To Eat Healthier When Ordering Takeout appeared first on The Fresh Toast.
Lockdown and other public health measures to halt the spread of COVID-19 haven’t driven us all to drink (and other drugs), as many news stories would have us believe.
Our Global Drug Survey released today, which includes replies from more than 55,000 participants, shows a mixed response.
We found some people are increasing their use of alcohol and cannabis, mainly due to boredom, which previous research has found.
But other people have reduced their drinking and drug use now festivals, nightclubs or parties are no longer an option – a trend that has so far gained less attention.
The survey provides a snapshot of changed patterns of alcohol and drug use, drug markets and other drug-related trends during the pandemic.
People from 171 countries responded to the web survey, which was available in ten languages. It was live for seven weeks, spanning May and June 2020.
This report, based on 55,811 responses, includes data from 11 countries where we had the most respondents: Austria, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Global Drug Survey #COVID19 special edition is on now and we want to know how has the lockdown affected your #drug or #alcohol use.
Has the cessation of the #festival/#clubbing sceneor
Take part now at https://t.co/As18hukoP0 https://t.co/hlOpcrEeyy
— Caitlin Hughes (@DrCaitlinHughes) May 25, 2020
People reflected on how their alcohol and other drug use had changed in the past month (April to May) compared to February 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared and lockdown restrictions implemented in most countries.
The Australian sample of 1,889 people consisted mainly of younger adults (73% were younger than 35). The sample spanned Australian jurisdictions, including 40% from Victoria.
We asked people about how often they drank alcohol, how much they drank in a typical session, and how often they binge-drink, defined as drinking five or more drinks in a session.
Some 39% reported drinking more compared to before COVID-19, whereas a similar number (37%) were drinking less. A total of 17% reported drinking at the same frequency and quantity, while 7% reported a mix of effects.
This challenges the existing narratives that people are mainly drinking more alcohol during lockdown. While we acknowledge many people did drink more, our results showed a varied response.
Of the Australian people who reported drinking less, this was largely due to a reduction in binge drinking.
Indeed, 37% reported reductions in binge drinking compared with 30% reporting increases in binge drinking, while the remaining 34% reported their binge drinking remained the same.
Looking at the reasons why people in the Australian sample reduced their drinking, the most common reasons were they had less contact with people they normally drink with (77%), less access to the settings where they usually drink (67%) and they don’t like drinking at home or when not out with friends (50%).
It is also worth noting large proportions of the group that drank less reported improvements in aspects of their lives as a result. These include 52% reporting improved finances and 42% reporting improved physical health.
A total of 39% of the Australians in our sample reported drinking more often, a greater quantity per session, and/or more frequent bingeing.
Drinkers who reported having a diagnosed mental health condition (typically depression or anxiety) were more likely to report increasing their drinking compared to February, before COVID-19 restrictions.
Australians in our sample who increased drinking noted worse outcomes for physical health (55%), mental health (36%), work or study performance where relevant (30%) and finances (26%).
The negative impact on physical and mental health among this group was profound, highlighting the risk of choosing alcohol as a coping strategy for stress, anxiety and depression.
A total of 49% of the Australians we surveyed who used cannabis in the past 12 months said their use had increased compared to February, including 25% who reported their cannabis use had increase “a lot”. The main reasons given for this increase were similar to alcohol: boredom (66%) and having more time (64%).
Over half (55%) of people who used cannabis alone also reported they are now more likely to consume cannabis alone compared to before COVID-19.
Of those who used illegal drugs in the previous 12 months, MDMA, cocaine and ketamine were the most likely to have decreased since before the pandemic. Lack of access to nightclubs, festivals and parties was the most common reason for the change.
Drug market shifts were reported too: including 51% of the Australian respondents saying general availability of illegal drugs had decreased, 29% reporting increases in drug prices, and 17% reporting decreased drug purity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had wide ranging impacts on substance use. For some people, who would otherwise have spent a lot of time socialising and working with the public, they may now have more available time and alcohol and other drug use may fill this time.
For others, the lack of access to festivals, nightclubs, parties and other social settings where drinking and drug use typically occurs has resulted in a reduction in binge drinking and the use of drugs like MDMA, cocaine and ketamine.
For some people, the pandemic may have silver linings, as they have reduced their substance use and report better life outcomes.
However, we need to be mindful to support young people when restrictions lift, to encourage people to return to their socialising and partying in a safe way.
There is a risk people whose drinking and drug tolerance has reduced may consume too much and be at risk of overdose when life returns to normal over the coming months.
By Monica Barratt, Vice Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow, Social and Global Studies Centre and Digital Ethnography Research Centre, RMIT University, Adam Winstock, Honorary Clinical Professor, UCL and Jason Ferris, Associate Professor, Program Leader for Research and Statistical Support Service and Program Leader for Substance Use and Mental Health, Centre for Health Services Research, The University of Queensland.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Featured image by Gina Coleman/Weedmaps
The post Forget the stereotypes. Our survey shows many young people are drinking less alcohol in lockdown appeared first on Weedmaps News.
Keep This In Mind When Choosing Your Face Mask
Face masks are some of the most efficient ways of preventing the spread of COVID-19. Not all are made the same, though.
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The case for a referendum on New Zealand’s cannabis law was already urgent in 2015 when the supposedly more pressing issue was whether we should change the flag. As I argued at the time, prohibition had failed and was costing society far more than the drug itself.
As with alcohol, tobacco, prostitution and gambling, regulation – not prohibition – seemed the smarter way forward. Nothing has changed as the cannabis legalisation and control referendum looms on October 17. If anything, the evidence from five wasted decades of war on cannabis is even more compelling.
First, tens of thousands of New Zealand lives have been disproportionately damaged – not through use of the drug, but because of its criminalisation.
According to figures released under the Official Information Act, between 1975 and 2019, 12,978 people spent time in jail for cannabis-related convictions (using and/or dealing). In the same period, 62,777 were given community-based sentences for cannabis-related convictions.
These statistics have not been evenly distributed. Māori are more likely to be convicted on cannabis charges, even accounting for higher rates of use.
Each conviction represented real or potential harm to job prospects, ability to travel, educational and other forms of social opportunity.
Second, despite these penalties and the millions of hours of police time spent enforcing the law, demand remains stronger than ever. Mirroring international trends (an estimated 192 million people used cannabis in 2018, making it the most used drug globally), the number of people using cannabis in New Zealand is increasing.
The most recent statistics suggest 15% of people used it at least once in the past year – nearly double the 8% recorded in 2011-12. The rate for those between 15 and 24 could be closer to 29% (nearly double the 15% in 2011-12).
Research suggests most New Zealanders (about 80%) born in the 1970s have used cannabis at least once. Despite the hype, propaganda and fear, such widespread use has not sent the nation spinning of control.
This is not a universal rule. For a minority (perhaps 4% to 10% of all users), there is a risk of developing a dependence that impairs their psychological, social and/or occupational functioning. Again, Maori suffer disproportionately in this area.
Despite these risks, overall the damage of cannabis is far less (for both individuals and wider society) than for legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco.
Third, criminals have thrived on the illegality of cannabis. The median price of an ounce fluctuates between $350 and $400. With such attractive profit margins for an illegal product, a black market is inevitable.
In turn, the quality and safety of the product are not regulated, the market is not controlled (children become customers), and no tax is earned from the profits. The spill-over crime rate increases as gangs or cartels seek to monopolise business and expand their territory.
The referendum now offers the Cannabis Legislation and Control Bill as a solution to these problems. If it became law the current situation would change in several significant ways:
Some estimates put the potential tax take as high as NZ$490 million per year. There are also optimistic arguments that criminality and harm associated with the drug will drastically reduce, if not be eliminated altogether.
But these outcomes will depend on the price and quality of the product, the effectiveness of policing the non-compliant, and providing the right help to those who need it.
While overseas evidence suggests legalisation reduces many of the peripheral crimes associated with the illegal supply of cannabis, this tends to turn on the types of crimes examined and the nature of the black market.
New Zealand conditions may differ. These caveats suggest it is overly simplistic to believe that regulation of recreational cannabis will lead to a happy utopia down under. There will always be harm and there will undoubtedly be teething problems if the new law goes ahead.
But that is not the question being asked on October 17. What voters have to answer is this: does regulation offer a better pathway than prohibition when it comes to reducing harm in our society?
Five decades of failure would suggest one of those options offers more hope than the other.
By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Featured image by Gina Coleman/Weedmaps
The post If reducing harm to society is the goal, a cost-benefit analysis shows cannabis prohibition has failed appeared first on Weedmaps News.
The actress, entrepreneur and mother of three just revealed how terrible it was on the set of 90210. Does marijuana play a role in her life outside of the small screen?
The post Does Jessica Alba Smoke Weed? appeared first on The Fresh Toast.
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The post The Problem With Combining Cannabis Products And Prescription Medications appeared first on The Fresh Toast.
The report shows that in 2019, 545,602 arrests for cannabis-related offenses were made.
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Top 5 Fresh Toast Stories Of The Week: Oct. 2, 2020
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Cannabis was just the beginning. Drug Policy Alliance’s Kassandra Frederique talks with The Roll-up crew about the future of drug reform.
The post The Roll-up #163: Where drug reform is going after legalization appeared first on Leafly.
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