Alarming increase in alcohol use during pandemic persists

A population-based study of adults aged 18 and older found that alcohol use increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and was sustained post pandemic. These results emphasize an alarming public health issue that remains from the pandemic and suggest the need for policy changes and health care interventions. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers from the University of Southern California and Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia studied data from the 2020 and 2022 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to determine if increased alcohol use during the pandemic (2020 vs 2018) was sustained post pandemic. The survey collected alcohol use information as well as demographic socioeconomic and health data for more than 24,000 adults aged 18 or older. Adults were categorized by having any alcohol or heavy alcohol use within a year of the survey, and researchers calculated the prevalence rates of both measures of alcohol use. The researchers found that among survey participants, any and heavy alcohol use increased in 2020 and in 2022. The researchers identified stress from the pandemic and disrupted access to medical services as potential causes of the sustained increase in alcohol consumption. Because alcohol is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, the researchers assert that this study highlights a serious public health issue stemming from the pandemic that requires clinical, community-based, and policy interventions to mitigate the potential consequences. While the study included only nonmilitary noninstitutionalized adults and excluded certain populations that may be more vulnerable to harmful alcohol use, the results suggest the pertinent need to raise further attention around pandemic-related alcohol use.

Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at [email protected]. To speak with corresponding author Brian P. Lee MD, MAS, please email Laura Nuno at [email protected]. To reach Divya Ayyala-Somayajula, MD, please email Angela Showell at [email protected].