- Alcohol poisoning
- Blackouts
- Developing of a drinking disorder (alcoholism)

Columbia University

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were significant concerns regarding elevated alcohol consumption among the general public. Driven by increased psychological distress and social isolation, this rise in alcohol use carried severe risks, including acute consequences like alcohol poisoning and long-term issues such as the development or exacerbation of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).

Alcohol Use Issues Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic

Rodriguez, L. M., Litt, D. M., & Stewart, S. H. (2020). Drinking to cope with the pandemic: The unique associations of COVID-19-related perceived threat and psychological distress to drinking behaviors in American men and women. Addictive behaviors, 106532.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7320671/

Drinking to cope with the pandemic: The unique associations of COVID-19 related perceived threat and psychological distress to drinking behaviors in American men and women

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a chronic relapsing disorder characterized by repeating cycling through preoccupation/anticipation, binge/intoxication, and withdrawal/negative affect stages (Ref. #1). AUD is considered by the DSM-5 to be a spectrum-like disorder that ranges in severity from mild, moderate, to severe. In contrast to the previous iteration of the DSM (the DSM-IV), no distinction is made between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence (Ref. #2). With the COVID-19 pandemic, there is concern that abstinent individuals will relapse back into the AUD cycle due to the stress caused by the pandemic itself and the social isolation that ensued as a result of lockdown periods.

Description of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

- Women are at higher risk than men, it has been observed that women are drinking more to close the gap with men, but are react physically stronger to a smaller quantity of alcohol
- People with kids are more likely to drink more, probably because the added stresses of kids increases distress

Higher risk groups for elevated alcohol consumption in response to increased to psychological distress

- Monitor drinking quantity for women
- Monitor drinking and heavy/drinking for all those psychologically impacted by the pandemic and its restrictions

Suggestions to help with increased alcohol use in response to increased psychological distress

Multiple publications have documented an increase in alcohol consumption associated with social isolation and psychological stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. These reports highlight elevated drinking behaviors across different demographics, emphasizing the widespread behavioral impact of pandemic-related anxiety and lockdown measures.

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