Ok, admit it: you have consumed alcohol in public during the pandemic.

You have, haven't you?

This is a stressful time. Nobody knows what's going on, and you need some relief. You disguise your drink as best you can, but you know you can do better—much better. You should've bought a flask, which apparently people have been purchasing at record levels during the pandemic. Of course, maybe you already did buy a flask. Or maybe you already had one. Either way, these lock-downs have caused a whole lot of problems for a lot of folks and now people are drinking like they're junkies; taking booze with them on walks, grocery runs, and trips to the park.

Anthony Barzilay Freund of 1stdibs.com says his website's flask sales are up 505% year-over-year. And these aren't bulk orders for weddings as you'd expect in other years. These are regular folks sitting at home, locked down, stressed out, sick of their kids, depressed, on-edge, and most importantly...THIRSTY!

Stanley, a purveyor of stainless-steel portable beverage ware since 1913, has seen a huge increase in sales of its Classic Easy Fill Wide Mouth Flask 8oz ($25) during the pandemic, the company said. At the flask online superstore Flasks.com, the wedding-related flasks that have long driven revenue are down, while "smaller quantity orders" have risen sharply.

So we already know that people are drinking more during the pandemic, but now they're trying to hide their alcohol problem. Who knows, some people could be hiding it from their spouse, some from Aunt Karen, maybe even the kids...definitely the in-laws. But I have to believe the majority of these flasks were purchased to hide booze from police in public places. Though a lot of places have relaxed public drinking laws, especially where bars are shut down. Still, concealing your alcohol is weird, and it's not a good look.

So get your life together!

Obviously, this is a product of the lock-downs. And it's extremely unhealthy. Don't get me wrong, I like a good tequila neat, but keeping a flask on your person so you can take the edge off before walking into the grocery store...that's a little too far if you ask me.

But, oh well. Get yourself a flask and join the club. If these lock-downs continue, someday maybe we can all be alcoholics together!