Increased Alcohol Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Medical organizations and the media have highlighted increased alcohol sales during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, researchers sought to quantify that increase at the patient level in 1520 adults (mean age, 57) who were surveyed in April 2019 and again in June 2020. Respondents were recruited from a U.S. national, population-based, health-behavior survey.

Respondents consumed alcohol modestly but significantly more frequently in 2020 than in 2019 (mean, 6.2 vs. 5.5 days/month). The increase was largest in middle-aged respondents (age range, 30–59; mean, 5.9 vs. 5.0 days/month). The frequency of heavy drinking among women, defined as ≥4 drinks at a single sitting, increased modestly but significantly (from 0.44 to 0.62 days/month).