Alcohol consumption during lockdown

A survey among the Dutch population on the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown revealed that roughly a quarter of participants drank less alcohol than before lockdown, half did not alter their intake, whereas a quarter drank more [1].

Data on the number of drinks and drinking days per week were collected for 3 months preceding the first Dutch lockdown (15 January–14 March 2020) and during this first lockdown (15 March–11 May 2020). Also assessed were stress, coping with stress, perceived immune fitness, and COVID-19 symptoms and severity. For each variable, differences (Δ) between lockdown and pre-lockdown were calculated.

The mean age of the 761 participants was 42 years and 62% were women. The lockdown period was associated with poorer mood and increased stress (all P<0.0001). Both the Δ stress and coping with stress scores correlated significantly with the quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption. Additional significant correlations were found between on the one hand Δ perceived immune fitness, and on the other hand Δ stress, Δ coping with stress, and the Δ quantity of alcohol intake.

About half of participants (50.4%) did not alter their weekly alcohol consumption during lockdown, 25.9% reported a decrease, and 23.8% an increase. The latter group experienced the highest increase in stress (P=0.025) and performed poorest in coping with stress (P=0.001). Of note, increased alcohol consumption was associated with poorer perceived immune fitness (P=0.012), and with a higher presence (P=0.013) and severity (P=0.007) of COVID-19 symptoms. The authors assume this may be explained by applying less effective strategies for lockdown-related stress.

A critical review of studies that evaluated the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on alcohol consumption yielded similar results [2]. Included were 31 studies, with a total of 94,630 participants. The findings showed that during the COVID-19 lockdown, about half of the individuals did not change their alcohol intake. About a quarter increased their alcohol consumption during the lockdown, which was associated with negative mood, increased stress, poorer health, and increased susceptibility to COVID-19 symptoms. Stress and coping with stress were important determinants of alcohol intake.

1. Merlo A, et al. Coping with stress and alcohol consumption during COVID-19 lockdown. P.0307, ECNP 2021 Congress, 2–5 October.
2. Hendriksen P, et al. Factors affecting alcohol use during COVID-19 lockdown: a critical review. P.0011, ECNP 2021 Congress, 2–5 October.

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Posted on 26 November 2021