Heavy drinking rises as the pandemic continues

Heavy drinking rises as the pandemic continues


It’s one of the least-discussed aspects of the coronavirus pandemic, something that often appears in humorous social media memes but, in reality, is no laughing matter. The unrelenting stress of worrying about getting COVID-19, living in lockdown, rampant unemployment and other hardships has led many people to hit the bottle harder than usual.

A new study finds that while adults across the board reported drinking more frequently during the pandemic. Women stood out, with notable increases in heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems.

Among those who responded to a national survey by the RAND Corporation, overall frequency of alcohol consumption among those age 30 to 80 spiked 14% from the same time period in 2019. Among women, the increase was 17%.

Other surveys have shown a 54% increase in alcohol sales nationwide versus a year ago, starting when stay-at-home orders took effect. At the time, the World Health Organization warned that higher levels of drinking could exacerbate health problems and risk-taking behaviors.

The RAND survey of nearly 3,000 people found the rate of heavy drinking over 30 days rose by nearly a full day, and was higher for women than for men. Heavy drinking is defined as five or more drinks for men at one time or more than 15 drinks over the course of a week. For women, the rate is four drinks at a time or eight or more drinks over a week.

Women also showed a 39% hike in scores on the Short Inventory of Problems, a 15-item test that measures negative consequences of alcohol and drug consumption.

The findings are further evidence that the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the nation’s health go far beyond sobering hospitalization and death tolls.

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