The opening of access to services like Alcoholics Anonymous is one bright spot in this pandemic

The use of digital tools for meetings means that the barriers to attending are lower, writes Janet Street-Porter

Since Covid-19 forced AA meetings online, numbers attending have soared (Getty)

Every day, I thank Alcoholics Anonymous for helping my partner get through the last few months. A lot has been written about the detrimental effects of Covid-19 on mental health, with the general consensus that it is a huge area of concern.

One study from Oxford University found that people who’ve caught the virus have an increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders ranging from depression to dementia. For the rest of us, the Office for National Statistics says, levels of anxiety have substantially increased, with women suffering more than men. The NHS cannot help all the people in the UK with mental health issues – waiting lists for counselling are long, and resources thin on the ground.

My own experience has been typical of many. At the start of summer, my partner’s business (in the hospitality sector) went into administration. A recovering alcoholic, he had found lockdown intolerable, but the bad news about his company led him to start drinking, before sliding into serious depression with terrible mood swings. Needless to say, the impact on me was (and still is) considerable.