Women, alcohol & lockdown; Jenny Colgan; Michele Roberts

Last week an editorial in the BMJ reported that before Covid-19 only one in five harmful and dependent drinkers got the help they needed, and now the proportion will be lower. There is concern for those struggling with dependence and those on the brink of dependence. How do you cope with an alcohol problem under lockdown? And what support is out there? We hear the experience of a listener, the journalist Catherine Renton who has been sober for over 3 years and from Julia Sinclair, professor of Addiction Psychiatry, University of Southampton and consultant in alcohol addiction. She’s also chair of the Royal College of Psychiatry’s addiction faculty.

Jenny Colgan's latest novel is called Five Hundred Miles From You. It's about a nurse in London and a nurse in the Scottish Highlands. It explores everything they've seen in their careers and whether or not they can help each other.

Coronavirus has made visible a group of people who were often invisible – volunteers. Thousands of people signed up to help the NHS as a volunteer. Local residents’ groups have got together to help those who can’t get to the shops, or to call people who might be experiencing severe isolation. Before lockdown, Woman’s Hour began interviewing women who volunteered in all sorts of areas – community cafes, at food banks, working with the homeless. Women who see a gap, or a problem to be solved, and just get on with it – Troopers. They told their stories to Laura Thomas. Today Annie Taylor and Wendy Robinson, the founders of the Profanity Embroidery Group in Whitstable.

How do authors cope with the rejection of the books they are writing? Struggling after her latest novel was rejected by publishers Michèle Roberts decided to write down everything that had happened. In the resulting memoir of a year, Negative Capability, Michèle reckons with the hurt and depression caused by the rejection. She rewrites and edits her novel, reconnects with and loses treasured friends, ultimately finding acceptance and understanding.

Presented by Jenni Murray Produced by Sarah Crawley Interviewed guest: Catherine Renton Interviewed guest: Julia Sinclair Interviewed guest: Jenny Colgan Interviewed guest: Annie Taylor Interviewed guest: Wendy Robinson Interviewed guest: Michèle Roberts Reporter: Laura Thomas