Joe Dinan felt an anxious pulse in his ears as he walked out of CVS and spotted the liquor store across the street. Having lost his job during the pandemic, he’d had plenty of time to run errands. But he couldn’t shake how hopeless he felt, marooned from his own sense of purpose. And the liquor store was right where he’d left it. A small bottle of vodka won out over his recovery.
In the age of pandemic, uncertainty lingers in the air. Now, new data shows that during the COVID-19 crisis, American adults have sharply increased their consumption of alcohol, drinking on more days per month, and to greater excess. Heavy drinking among women especially has soared.
The study, released Tuesday by the RAND corporation and supported by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), compared adults’ drinking habits from 2019 to now. Surveying 1,540 adults across a nationally representative panel, participants were asked about their shift in consumption between spring 2019 and spring 2020, during the virus’ first peak.
Based on the results, experts say they’re concerned about how people may be choosing to ease the pain and isolation wrought by the pandemic.
New data shows American adults have sharply increased their alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 crisis, drinking on more days per month, and to greater excess. Heavy drinking among women especially has soared. https://t.co/mruETfAvJE
— ABC News (@ABC) September 30, 2020