Alcohol use and mental health during COVID-19 lockdown: A cross-sectional study in a sample of UK adults

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on US adults’ smoking and quitting behaviors is unclear. We explored the impact of COVID-19 on smoking behaviors, risk perceptions, and reactions to text messages during a statewide stay-at-home advisory among primary care patients who were trying to quit. From May–June 2020, we interviewed smokers enrolled in a 12-week, pilot cessation trial providing text messaging and mailed nicotine replacement medication (NCT04020718). Twenty-two individuals (82% white, mean age 55 years), representing 88% of trial participants during the stay-at-home advisory, completed exit interviews; four (18%) of them reported abstinence. Interviews were thematically analyzed by two coders. COVID-19-induced environmental changes had mixed effects, facilitating quitting for some and impeding quitting for others. While stress increased for many, those who quit found ways to cope with stress. Generally, participants felt at risk for COVID-19 complications but not at increased risk of becoming infected. Reactions to COVID-19 and quitting behaviors differed across age groups, older participants reported difficulties coping with isolation (e.g., feeling disappointed when a text message came from the study and not a live person). Findings suggest that cessation interventions addressing stress and boredom are needed during COVID-19, while smokers experiencing isolation may benefit from live-person supports.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Quit Experiences among Primary Care Patients Enrolled in a Smoking Cessation Pilot RCT Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Joyce

Styklunas

Rigotti

et al. 2021

“…There are several reasons why alcohol consumption may increase during the COVID-19 pandemic. These include boredom and disruption to routines caused by the lockdown, the threat of the disease, changes to life circumstances and associated distress [ 30 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A study of 754 adults from the USA demonstrated that psychological distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with increased alcohol consumption, whereas the perceived threat from the virus itself was not associated with increased alcohol consumption [ 31 ]. Other reasons people drink during a crisis include the inhibiting effect of alcohol on the nervous system offering temporary relief from emotions, anxiety, anger, sleep disorders, depression and post-traumatic stress disorders associated with a lockdown [ 30 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Periods of isolation and loneliness can have long-lasting negative consequences on individuals’ physical and mental well-being, which can lead to an increase in the consumption of self-care substances such as alcohol and BZDs, both of which are central nervous system depressants that can result in a range of adverse health effects [ 26 , 30 , 31 ]. Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a spike in alcohol abuse, relapses and potentially the development of alcohol use disorders combined with the concomitant abuse of other drugs in at-risk individuals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Changes in Drug Use Patterns during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy: Monitoring a Vulnerable Group by Hair Analysis

Gili

Bacci

Aroni

et al. 2021

From 22 March until 18 May 2020, a complete lockdown in Italy was ordered as a countermeasure against the COVID-19 pandemic. Social isolation measures affect some populations more than others, and people with drug and/or alcohol disorders (SUDs) are more likely to be adversely affected. This study presents, for the first time, laboratory data on the use of alcohol and drugs in a high-risk population during Italy’s first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirty subjects with SUDs were monitored for the use of illicit drugs and alcohol every 3 months before, during and after the lockdown, by hair analysis. The number of samples positive for heroin, cocaine, MDMA and cannabis fell considerably during the lockdown and then resumed to pre-lockdown levels when the period of confinement was over. Interestingly, the consumption of benzodiazepines and alcohol followed the opposite trend; both the number of benzodiazepine-positive samples and the level of alcohol consumption increased and remained high, even at the end of the lockdown. The confinement measures produced significant changes in drug/alcohol use patterns, with a shift toward the use of substances that were more easily accessible, used as self-medication for negative feelings, and used to alleviate the effects of abstinence from drugs that were no longer readily available.

“…In sum, constraining daily routines and limited access to typical social or environmental reinforcement sources may increase the risk of engaging with non-healthy strategies to cope with the pandemic, such as eating more unhealthy food and drinking more alcohol than usual [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 28 ], especially for women. Although previous cross-sectional studies have found an increase in these high-risk behaviors [ 29 , 30 , 31 ], it is unclear what predicts these changes and, more importantly, if these behaviors are maintained over time. Since the pandemic has been found to increase levels of stress across the population, it will be necessary to evaluate changes over time in health-risk behaviors and their predictors, that are known to be affected by stress [ 32 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Perceived Impact and Psychological Variables as Predictors of Unhealthy Food and Alcohol Consumption Trajectories: The Role of Gender and Living with Children as Moderators

Salazar-Fernández

Palet

Haeger

et al. 2021

The present study examines the trajectories of unhealthy food and alcohol consumption over time and considers whether perceived impact of COVID-19 and psychological variables are predictors of these trajectories. We ascertained whether these predictors are different in women vs. men and between women living with vs. without children. Data were collected through online surveys administered to 1038 participants from two universities (staff and students) in Chile, across five waves (July to October 2020). Participants provided information about their past-week unhealthy food and alcohol consumption and mental health. Using latent growth curve modeling analysis, we found that higher perceived health and interpersonal COVID-19 impact, younger age and lower depression symptoms were associated with more rapid increases over time in unhealthy food consumption. On the other hand, higher perceived COVID-19 economic impact and older age were associated with more rapid diachronic decreases in alcohol consumption. Gender and living with or without children, for women only, were moderators of these trajectories. This longitudinal study provides strong evidence identifying the multiple repercussions of COVID-19 and mental health factors on unhealthy food and alcohol consumption. These findings highlight the need for interventions aimed at minimizing the impact of the pandemic on unhealthy food and alcohol consumption over time.