Shifts in Alcohol Consumption During the COVID‐19 Pandemic: Early Indications From Australia
Abstract
Background and aim
The effect of the COVID‐19 pandemic on alcohol consumption is currently unclear. This study aimed to provide early estimates of how stress and demographics will interact with shifts in heavy alcohol consumption from before the COVID‐19 outbreak to 2 months into social distancing.
Design
Cross‐sectional convenience sample.
Setting
Australia.
Participants
A total of 1684 Australians aged 18–65 years who consume alcohol at least monthly.
Measurements
Items from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and the stress subscale of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS).
Findings
Overall, heavy alcohol use decreased during social distancing measures in our sample [2019 score = 8.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 7.9–8.4; during the pandemic = 7.3, 95% CI = 7.1–7.6]. Younger alcohol users, particularly young women, decreased their consumption the most, but there was a small increase in consumption in middle‐aged women. Alcohol users experiencing high levels of stress also reported a relatively higher shift in heavy consumption compared with those with low levels of stress (β = 0.65, P = 0.003), despite reporting a small decrease overall.
Conclusions
The closure of licensed premises and social distancing measures in Australia in response to the COVID‐19 outbreak appear to have reduced heavy alcohol consumption in younger alcohol users, particularly young women.
