The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency on Alcohol Use: A Focus on a Cohort of Sicilian Workers

Abstract

The period between the beginning and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency generated a general state of stress, affecting both the mental state and physical well-being of the general population. Stress is the body’s reaction to events or stimuli perceived as potentially harmful or distressing. Particularly when prolonged over time, it can promote the consumption of different psychotropic substances such as alcohol, and thus the genesis of various pathologies. Therefore, our research aimed to evaluate the differences in alcohol consumption in a cohort of 640 video workers who carried out activities in smart working, subjects particularly exposed to stressful situations due to the stringent rules of protection and prevention implemented during the pandemic. Furthermore, based on the results obtained from the administration of the AUDIT-C, we wanted to analyse the different modes of alcohol consumption (low, moderate, high, severe) to understand whether there is a difference in the amount of alcohol consumed that could predispose individuals to health problems. To this end, we administered the AUDIT-C questionnaire in two periods (T0 and T1), coinciding with annual occupational health specialist visits. The results of the present research showed an increase in the number of subjects consuming alcohol (p = 0.0005) and in their AUDIT-C scores (p < 0.0001) over the period considered. A significant decrease in subgroups who drink in a low-risk (p = 0.0049) mode and an increase in those with high (p = 0.00012) and severe risk (p = 0.0002) were also detected. In addition, comparing the male and female populations, it emerged that males have drinking patterns that lead to a higher (p = 0.0067) health risk of experiencing alcohol-related diseases than female drinking patterns. Although this study provides further evidence of the negative impact of the stress generated by the pandemic emergency on alcohol consumption, the influence of many other factors cannot be ruled out. Further research is needed to better understand the relationship between the pandemic and alcohol consumption, including the underlying factors and mechanisms driving changes in drinking behaviour, as well as potential interventions and support strategies to address alcohol-related harm during and after the pandemic.

Reduced Pharmacological Intervention of Prehospital Services for Acute Alcohol Intoxication during the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Large District of Southern Italy

“…Moreover, a reduction of approximately 30% in calls for alcohol-related reasons in 2020-2021 compared to 2018-2019 was observed (Table 1). This finding suggests a "forced" reduced consumption of alcoholic beverages, at least in some subjects, due to a) economic problems (such as job loss); b) reduced socialization, due to the legislative limitations, as Italians tend to be social drinkers; c) the perception of alcohol as a dangerous substance to be avoided with the contingent pandemic conditions [8,11]. However, a survey conducted between April and July 2020 investigating alcohol consumption attitudes in individuals who already had problematic alcohol consumption showed an increase in both the quantity and frequency of drinking in most European countries, including Italy [12].…”

“…It is of significant concern that the increasing drinking style of alcohol consumption over the last decades, characterized by a "wet habit of socialization," has prompted larger percentages of young and adult individuals to adopt risky alcohol consumption habits. This has resulted in more individuals making use of sanitary emergency services (ES) in instances of alcohol intoxication [5][6][7][8].…”

Alcohol consumption patterns in Russia according to the ESSE-RF study: is there a COVID-19 trace?

“…Иными словами, в пандемию бóльшие объемы алкоголя стали употреблять люди, которые и до пандемии пили много, остальные же снизили потребление. Аналогичные результаты получены и в других исследованиях [39,40]. Российские данные также подтверждают поляризацию потребления алкоголя в период пандемии: рост среди лиц, употреблявших алкоголь до пандемии в больших количествах, и снижение среди изначально малопьющего населения [41,42].…”

Correlation among job-induced stress, overall well-being, and cardiovascular risk in Italian workers of logistics and distribution

“…It is precisely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its variants that the concept of psychological well-being has also been reinforced in relation to the work dimension ( 9 ). In fact, psychological stress was able to lead to erroneous behaviour and addictions, such as those to alcohol, which could also negatively influence the individual’s working life ( 10 ).…”