Back to normal? Not quite

It it heartening to see some sense of normality returning, with a gorgeous Simply Strings concert on Sunday at the Fox Theater, a full schedule of spring sports underway and plans for a return of the Buffalo Commons festival announced.

While a lot of us have been fully vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus, too many of us have subscribed to the “I guess I’ll just wait a while,” attitude -- waiting for what -- the fourth wave like that now decimating India?

Actually, things may not be as normal as we think, according to a survey by the Invisibly data-crunching site, although they’re certainly more normal than they were a year ago.

Surveying 1,044 people to find out how they feel about returning to their life activities right now, Invisibly found that people are still hesitant to fully commit to going back to normal activities -- only slightly better than they were in July 2020.

Among the findings:

-- 63% would consider getting a haircut.

-- 61% would consider going to the dentist

-- 55% would consider dining at a restaurant, the same number who said they would return to working in an office.

-- 47% would consider going to the gym

Men are much more willing than women to return to normal activities in nearly every category, and younger people are feeling more cautious than other ages about resuming regular activities.

One area where women “excel” unfortunately, is drinking, however.

Recovery.org found that 1 in 5 Nebraska women over 50 admit to drinking more now than they did in their 20s and 30s.

According to a survey, 19% of female drinkers over 50 have been drinking more alcohol since the start of the pandemic than before it began.

-- 1 in 5 say they are influenced to drink more by reality TV shows that celebrate alcohol.

-- a quarter of women in relationships admit they usually drink more alcohol than their partner.

While many leaving heavy drinking and partying far behind once they reach their “wiser years,” the Recovery.org survey of 3,160 women above age 50 revealed that 17% of those in Nebraska admit to drinking more now than they did in their 20s and 30s.

Drinking by middle-aged females ranges from half of those in West Virginia to just 7% of female drinkers over 50 in South Dakota.

Don’t put all the blame on COVID-19 but nearly 1 in 5 say they have drunk more alcohol since the start of the pandemic, and a separate survey found a similar number of Americans more likely to turn to alcohol in an attempt to alleviate stress as compared to pre-pandemic times.

You can blame peer pressure for part of the problem, with 10% saying they would feel pressured to drink if they were around friends who do, and those “Real Housewives” shows do their part to promote a drinking culture.

Let’s hope an eventual return to “normalcy” brings back some of the restraining factors that keep us from turning to the bottle for relief.

If you think it might take more than that, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. A link for available resources is here.