People have begun drinking more alcohol since the coronavirus pandemic began, and women in particular have begun imbibing heavily and having related problems, according to a national survey.
A survey of 2,615 people ages 30 to 80 drank 14% more often than they did last year, and women drank 17% more frequently, according to Michael Pollard and other researchers from the RAND Corporation.
Non-Hispanic whites had a 19% increase in how often they drank, and adults ages 30 to 59 had a 10% increase, the researchers wrote in a letter in JAMA Network Open.
“…these results suggest that examination of whether increases in alcohol use persist as the pandemic continues and whether psychological and physical well-being are subsequently affected may be warranted,” they said.
Nationally, alcohol sales increased 54% over last year during the week of March 21, when states began ordering non-essential workers to stay at home, the researchers said.
In their survey, they defined heavy drinking as taking five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women within a couple of hours.
Sara Bleich, a professor of public health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said an increase in alcohol consumption alone is not necessarily a bad thing.
“We know certain alcohols, like red wine, can be good for health in moderate amounts,” she said. “But it could not be if it’s being used as a drug.”
Bleich said it’s not surprising that women drank more frequently and more heavily than men.
“The level of stress women are experiencing is particularly high,” she said. “Women overwhelmingly bear the brunt of childcare, and a lot of women are doing two jobs at home. Not only are many doing their regular jobs, but they also have become teachers without any training, and that’s very hard to do.”
Anthony Andreottola, director of the Father Mychal Judge Recovery Center at Saint Anthony Shrine in Boston, said the center has received a 15 to 20% increase in calls from women during the pandemic.
“They’re under pressure from being at home, from working, taking care of children. Sometimes they put themselves second to others,” he said. “Add to that the stigma of, ‘You’re a woman, and you shouldn’t be drinking so much,’ and it’s extra hard for women right now, for moms and women in general who are afraid of judgement. There’s a double standard when it comes to men and women, and with the pandemic, it’s just been magnified.”
Many women who have become addicted face the added challenge of finding the help they need due to the pandemic, Andreottola said. Because the shrine closed in March, anonymous support groups that met there have had to meet over the phone or via Zoom, he said.
“2020 is probably going to go down as the year recovery stood still,” he said. “Face-to-face support to me is the gold standard; it allows you to develop a relationship with people trying to make changes in their lives. That’s much harder to do over the phone or on Zoom.”
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October 01, 2020 at 07:46AM
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Covid-19 pandemic drives women to drink - Boston Herald
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