Beyond ‘drinking occasions’: Examining complex changes in drinking practices during COVID‐19

Abstract

Introduction ‘Drinking occasions’ are commonly used to capture quantities of alcohol consumed. Yet this standardised terminology brings with it numerous assumptions and epistemological limitations. We suggest that social changes brought on by COVID‐19 restrictions have influenced routines, patterns of time use and drinking practices, highlighting the need to re‐examine how we conceptualise drinking and ‘drinking occasions’ in alcohol research. Methods This analysis draws on data gathered from 59 qualitative interviews conducted during the second half of 2020 with Australian drinkers aged 18 and over. The interviews explored how COVID‐19 restrictions impacted daily practices and alcohol consumption patterns. Findings Participants spoke about their work, study and social routines changing, which influenced the times, timing and contexts of their drinking practices. We separated these shifts into four overarching themes: shifting of structures shaping drinking; the permeability of drinking boundaries; the extension of drinking occasions; and new contexts for drinking. Discussion and Conclusion COVID‐19 restrictions have led to shifts in the temporal boundaries and contexts that would otherwise shape people's drinking, meaning drinking practices may be less bound by structures, norms, settings and rituals. The drinking occasions concept, although a simple tool for measuring how much people drink, has not been able to capture these complex developments. This is a timely consideration given that COVID‐19 may have enduring effects on people's lifestyles, work and drinking practices. It may be useful to examine drinking as practice, rather than just an occasion, in order to better contextualise epidemiological studies going forward.

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How Covid-19 restrictions affected young people's well-being and drinking practices: Analyzing interviews with a socio-material approach

“…While the restrictions forced new drinking situations upon the participants and transformed the contours of the home ( Moretti & Maturo, 2021 ), they also made them consider their drinking habits in new ways ( Caluzzi et al, 2021 ; MacLean et al, 2022 ). For some, this meant questioning their abstinence, for others, it meant that they could find new means to define what they like about going out (meeting friends rather than drinking alcohol).…”

How does social class shape women's alcohol stockpiling during COVID-19?: A qualitative study in South Australia during the 2020 lockdown

“…Research in a number of countries has found that COVID-19 lockdowns were associated with increased alcohol purchasing and consumption ( Anderson, Llopis et al, 2020 ; Callinan, Mojica-Perez et al, 2021 ; Daly & Robinson, 2021 ; Koopmann, Georgiadou et al, 2021 ; Lee, Dodge et al, 2021 ; Sugarman & Greenfield, 2021 ) and within Australia, among midlife women in particular ( Neill, Meyer et al, 2020 ; Callinan, Mojica-Perez et al, 2021 ; Callinan, Smit, et al, 2021 ). An Australian study of drinking practices during COVID-19 found changes in how people consumed alcohol and specifically, increases in the frequency of consumption including extensions in the time available to people for consuming alcohol ( Caluzzi, Pennay et al, 2021 ). People who bulk-bought their alcohol compared to those who reported not doing so demonstrated an increased consumption of almost 0.5 drinks per day across the same time-period ( Callinan, Mojica-Perez et al, 2021 ; Callinan, Smit, et al, 2021 ).…”