2020
DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-115830/v1
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Changes in Drug Use Patterns During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy: Monitoring a Vulnerable Group by Hair Analysis

Abstract: Background From March 22 until May 18, 2020, a complete lockdown in Italy was ordered by the government as a drastic and unprecedented countermeasure against the COVID-19 pandemic. Social isolation measures affect some populations more than others, and people with mental and drug and/or alcohol disorders are more likely to be adversely affected by home confinement. The literature on substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic is still nascent, but past research on other large-scale disasters suggests a modific… Show more

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Cited by 9 publications
(7 citation statements)
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“…One study, carried out with alcohol-dependent patients, found an increase in alcohol consumption [20]. Another study, using hair analysis, conducted on 30 subjects, showed a decrease in the consumption of illegal drugs but a significant increase in consumption of benzodiazepines and alcohol, substances which are more easily accessible [21]. These data were confirmed in a separate study from Spain which found an increase in alcohol and benzodiazepine consumption in drug-dependent individuals [5].…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…One study, carried out with alcohol-dependent patients, found an increase in alcohol consumption [20]. Another study, using hair analysis, conducted on 30 subjects, showed a decrease in the consumption of illegal drugs but a significant increase in consumption of benzodiazepines and alcohol, substances which are more easily accessible [21]. These data were confirmed in a separate study from Spain which found an increase in alcohol and benzodiazepine consumption in drug-dependent individuals [5].…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Similarly, in a population‐level survey, Statistics Canada found that 24% of respondents were drinking more alcohol compared to before the pandemic (Statistics Canada, 2021a , 2021b ), while 24% reported drinking less and 54% reported no change (Statistics Canada, 2021a , 2021b ). Thus, large increases in drinking have fortunately not been observed at the population level in general, although there appear to be notable increases in some subgroups, such as in individuals with substance use disorders (Gili et al, 2021 ) and individuals with increased psychiatric severity (Tran et al, 2020 ).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…43 See Office for National Statistics (2021a, 2021b) and Gili, et al (2021). U.K. deaths from alcohol-specific causes increased 19 percent from 2019 to 2020, as compared to 15 percent in my demand model without income effect (substitution effect plus trend) and 26 percent in the U.S. data (Figure 6 of this paper).…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 92%