Australia; VIC
Being in lockdown and socialising online may have 'organically' changed our consumption of drugs and alcohol, according to Australian research. The scientists conducted in-depth interviews with three groups of friends who converted their usual catch-ups to online hangouts during lockdown. They found that people said they began to creatively and instinctively change the way they drank or used drugs to better suit the online experience. As one participant put it "like what, you’re gonna do speed and be stuck in your bedroom?". The participants reported avoiding or consuming less of particular substances and opting to consume substances that, for them, fit more comfortably with their online engagements - something the researchers say could be viewed as an ‘organic’ mode of harm reduction.
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