Places where pub, takeaway and holiday are top of online searches

Pub is a popular online search word.Pub is a popular online search word.
Pub is a popular online search word.

Many people are coping with lockdown cabin fever by dreaming of a time when they can leave home for more than an hour a day to socialise with family and friends or enjoy a fish supper.

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They have turned to the internet in their droves to search for items such as pub, takeaway and holiday.

So what has been the most popular search among the nation's cities?

Pharmacy firm Treated.com used Google Trends in compiling a search interest report. Their findings show  that people living in Brighton searched for pub more than any other area of the country. London was second, Norwich third, Bristol fourth, York fifth and Liverpool sixth.

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Dr Daniel Atkinson, GP clinical lead at Treated.com, said: “Many of us are likely missing our pubs and restaurants, because they are typically places of social interaction between friends and family.

“However, for some people the very absence of a pub might encourage them to go out and purchase alcohol, simply because they miss the ability to choose whether they want to go out, and may even lead to consumption levels higher than before the lockdown. It’s important we don’t fall victim to this.

“So let’s try to keep in mind the UK guidelines surrounding ‘low-risk’ drinking’ which are to consume no more than 14 units of alcohol per week. If you do drink 14 units a week, make sure you spread them out across the week with ‘sober’ days in between. And don’t ‘save up’ your units and consume them all on one day or night.”

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Nothing beats the traditional fish and chips takeaway.Nothing beats the traditional fish and chips takeaway.
Nothing beats the traditional fish and chips takeaway.

Fast food was another area which piqued the interest of researchers who found that Hull was the city most absorbed with searching for takeaway. Sunderland, Nottingham, Manchester and Leeds filled the next five places in the search table.

Dr Atkinson said: “We’re all spending a lot more time indoors and a lot less time socialising, so a lot of us will be thinking about food more, because it might be the new highlight of our day. Some people will be taking to the kitchen more to cook from scratch. This should hopefully be a positive, as cooking from home is typically better for us than eating ready-meals or a takeaway.

“However, it’s important that we don’t let our newfound sense of boredom lead to an uptake in the amounts of takeaways we eat, as this could have health implications further down the line - particularly if we continuously eat takeaways for a prolonged period of time.”

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When it came to thinking about their next break, people in Sunderland searched for holiday online more than any other city. Hull, Norwich, Plymouth and Birmingham followed suit.

Dr Atkinson said: “We’re all going through a difficult time at the moment, and our primary focus should be on remaining healthy. Having an end goal of a holiday in mind though can help to motivate us and keep us positive, and for those who usually plan a holiday last minute, at least now they’ve got more time to plan and look at places they’d like to visit.

“Research shows that holidays can represent an excellent opportunity to quit certain habits, such as smoking or drinking, because the changed environment lends itself to the breaking of an addiction, which are usually facilitated through the repetition of our daily routine.”

Dr Atkinson added that exercise during lockdown was crucial to maintaining mental health.

For the full findings go to www.treated.com 

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