Slightly off-topic, but I’ve been wondering how many meth heads and other substance abusers have swelled the ranks of COVID patients. Medical privacy laws being what they are, we probably will never know of course, but it seems like it could be a substantial number of people, almost never talked about.
Substance abuse would definitely qualify as a co-morbidity.
Interesting thought.
My experience has been that people addicted to drugs, those with strong drug addictions with powerful street drugs (Meth, Heroin, Crack) Do Not seek medical help for anything.
They avoid hospitals and rather die as their addictions are so powerful they know when being treated in the Hospital they can not continue using their drug(s).
Prescription drug addicts are little different.
They will seek treatment, they will be admitted into a hospital, but when withdrawal begins and they realize they can’t get or use their usual medication, they leave against medical advice.
I have seen this play out many times.