Interesting article about how this lockdown and have a knock on effect for people’s personal “vices”
As much as we're encouraged to use this enforced isolation to stay fit, learn a second language or work on creative projects, many of us will also turn to less virtuous pastimes to get through the stressful weeks ahead.
Even the government has acknowledged we need that pressure-valve, adding off-licences to the list of "essential" shops allowed to stay open, after supermarkets found their booze shelves swept bare.
"There is something about not being able to control a situation, we don't know how this is going to play out. So people might turn to things like alcohol as a coping mechanism," says Lesley Ludlow, a counsellor who chairs the private practice arm of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
"Then there is the boredom. People have had their social lives taken away from them, so they look for a quick fix to make life feel a bit more normal for a while."
Perhaps not surprisingly, firms that cater to our private passions seem to be doing quite well, at a time when many others businesses are struggling.
Pornhub, a popular adult entertainment website, reported a spike of more than 10% in traffic after it offered free premium access - or what it called "an extra incentive to stay at home and flatten the curve".
And online betting firm 888 Holdings said this month that its outlook for 2020 wasn't too bad, even though gambling on traditional sports has collapsed along with live fixtures. That is partly because customers are turning to alternative - and some say riskier - games online such as casino and poker.