Binge Drinking Increased 19% With Every Week Of Lockdown, Says New Study

Several behavioural studies emerged as people spent increasingly long time at their homes during Covid-19 pandemic induced lockdowns. A new one suggests that binge drinking increased in adults during this time.

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Published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, the peer-reviewed study has found a correlation between harmful drinking among adults and their restriction to their homes. Based on a survey of around 2,000 over-18s in the US, the research concludes that binge drinking increased in adults in every week of lockdown.

The limit for binge-drinking was kept at five or more drinks within two hours for men and four and more drinks for women in the same duration. The study found out that heavy alcohol consumption (more than the specified limit) increased by around 19% for every week of lockdown.

"Increased time spent at home is a life stressor that impacts drinking and the Covid-19 pandemic may have exacerbated this stress," says Sitara Weerakoon, a PhD candidate from the University of Texas.

The statement is in line with the findings that the odds of increased alcohol intake for binge drinkers was more than double than of people who did not drink excessively (60% vs 28%). These binge drinkers were categorised to be especially those with depression or a history of the disease.

Reuters

The survey

The aim of the research was to determine a link between stress factors borne by Covid-19 and changes in alcohol consumption. For this, the researchers gathered data from an online survey completed by 1,982 adults from mid-March to mid-April.

The average age of survey participants was 42. The study notes that every respondent had been in lockdown for four weeks on average. With this, they had spent 21 hours a day at home on an average as the majority did not leave for work.

The researchers categorised participants as binge drinkers, non-binge drinkers and non-drinkers. Other factors analysed included lockdown duration, adult or children company, current or previous episodes of depression, and job status during the lockdown.

(Representative Image: Unsplash)

Among the binge drinkers, 32% of the participants reported binge drinking during the pandemic. Non-binge drinkers consumed about the same amount of alcohol than before lockdown. Additionally, those living with children in lockdown had reduced odds (by 26%) of drinking.

The study, however, had its limitations. These included the fact that the survey data is self-reported, and that the questions did not factor in a time within which the alcohol was consumed. In addition, around 70% of participants were categorised as relatively high earners, a factor already associated with hazardous alcohol use.