A lot of these drug overdose deaths are COVID deaths, because alcohol and drug abuse has skyrocketed as a direct result of the pandemic.

The last estimate I saw, IIRC, was that the numbers (sans deaths) have tripled in less than a year. And as a former teetotaler with relatively few mental problems who has spent the last six months playing hooky and getting drunk alone at home daily to help cope, with multiple straight friends doing the exact same thing, I'd be inclined to believe that statistic may even be a massive underestimate when you factor for people who don't have a clinical-grade problem yet.

Glad to see that there are more of us like this, I thought I was the only one.

Before the pandemic I did drink, and relatively heavily, but I'm quite young and it was always with or around a highly supportive friend group that would help me if it was a problem.

Since the pandemic I have been drinking more regularly, until recently, where I've started taking low-level illicit substances to help cope with the lack of future prospects and just overwhelming boredom caused by this virus.

My roommate has been in and out of rehab - you’re not the only one.

I think you mean they are lockdown deaths.