Virtual murdering hugs to everyone that needs them (ie all of us!) I'm so sorry it's so hard for everyone. How can this situation be accepted as reasonable?
On that note, I totally share the 
that the assessment of risk is so fucked up. I know it is a terrible situation and there has been a really high number of deaths and I do agree lockdown has prevented a higher number but lockdown has been at the expense of so much collateral damage. And will be in the the future.
I'm not sure how to explain this properly but someone who is is clinically extremely vulnerable it baffles me that some people who aren't, are so incredibly worried. Even as a CEV (which seems to be the new buzzword for a shielding person) I know that whilst the risk is very large for me if I do get it (esp as I'm lungs) the risk of me catching it is not as large. Usually fit and well and healthy people are coming from an even better starting point yet they are trying to make the smaller risk even smaller at so great an expense to themselves and with so little thought for the long term not just the short term.
The financial impacts will be felt by everyone (bar the very very wealthy) and we are sacrificing so much. Especially DC. It's so hard.
On that note also, my drinking started when the DC were little and everything was "wine o'clock". It was positively encouraged (I would say enabled 
) "oh sit down with a glass of wine when they're in bed and relax" "keep calm and drink Prosecco" etc. And there was an excuse - current life being so hard and stressful. It gives us something to look forward to and delineates (and comes to symbolise) the line between stress and relaxation. Also other parents (mothers ofc) understand and we are all doing it. A sense of camaraderie. There is a generation of us who grew up with all of this in their 30s (or 20s, I had my DC young) who still have this mindset and I'm sure lots and lots of us are now problem or dependent drinkers. And gin seems to be the new wine
The similarities with the current situation are startling. I'm like a little ray of darkness aren't I 
I am sorry. I'm like one of those reformed evangelical ex smokers, I know 
But not drinking has been so so beneficial for me - I know if I was drinking now it would be awful. And lots of you are mentioning it so I thought I would go on and on share what helped me. I've just realised I am trying to express solidarity but have probably depressed everyone further.
Anyway. If it helps anyone. The biggest help for me was not trying to stop drinking by concentrating on the benefits in the evening of not picking up the bottle glass - it was concentrating on the benefits of the morning after. Standing in the bathroom without a thumping head, no horrible taste in my mouth, not tired from waking in the early hours, not worrying about anything I had done the night before, not worried about still being over the limit, not bloated and guilty from eating and drinking a million calories etc etc etc. There were no positives from drinking as the sense of relaxation for a few hours when doing it wasn't worth any of that.
But the benefits of those early mornings without any of that...totally worth it. I tried not to think about how shit and boring my evenings were, but how good my mornings were. And gradually my evenings were good and my life changed.
PS I also did the but I like (eg) white wine with fish, my meals won't be the same without wine, it feels sociable to share a bottle with my friends and DH, it won't be the same, i like the routine of cooking with a glass of wine, it relaxes me and it won't be the same...
I don't mean to imply you are all problem drinkers madly enabling and excusing I know it's probably only (for example) a glass of wine or a couple of G and Ts but I just think, if any time was a slippery slope, bloody hell, it's now! Dry July sounds like it might actually help lots of people as it will be beneficial even if in a small way so I thought I would share.