Has remote work increased substance abuse?

There’s a difference between isolation and solitude.  

You choose solitude because you like to be alone, but often, when working from home, people aren’t choosing it; they have been forced to be alone, and that isolation can cause disconnection, and disconnection is a place that addiction thrives in. 

It can be a natural progression of being isolated, like the boiling frog. The boiling frog story is a metaphor cautioning people to be aware of even gradual change that leads to eventual undesirable consequences. We know that isolation fuels addiction, but it’s also fuelled by a chronic disconnection from yourself, the world, and people.  

Also, there are things that traditionally we wouldn’t have time or the ability to do if we weren’t working from home, like having a drink or vaping during the workday. Are people getting a little too comfortable working at home?