New Study Shows Increase in Heavy Drinking Amidst COVID-19 Lockdowns
With the stunning rise in COVID-19 cases, many states have considered issuing new stay-at-home orders or placing restrictions on bars, restaurants, and other non-essential businesses. In California, millions are under a new stay-at-home order that effectively shuttered most eateries in the state except for take-out options.
While lockdowns are meant to slow the spread of the virus, there may be a harmful side effect. A new study published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse and reported on by Science Daily shows that binge drinking and other harmful drinking patterns increase every week of lockdown.
The study surveyed nearly 2,000 adults and showed that “the odds of heavy alcohol consumption among binge drinkers… rose an extra 19% for every week of lockdown.” Binge drinkers are defined as men who drink five or more drinks within two hours, and women who drink four or more drinks within the same time frame.
Additional findings showed that binge drinkers compared to non-binge drinkers were more likely to drink more per occasion. The survey also asked respondents about stressors, including whether they lived with children, currently or previously experienced depression, and job status.
Experts point to life stressors that may be heightened by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. Researchers hope that these and future studies will prompt “new intervention and prevention strategies for people in isolation at risk of hazardous drinking.”
Read the full study:
Taylor & Francis Group. “New study shows every week of lockdown increases binge drinking.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 December 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201207091306.htm>.