Drinking More Than Usual During the COVID-19 Pandemic? > News > Yale Medicine
Drinking alcohol does not reduce the chance of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 or developing severe illness from COVID-19. Consult a healthcare professional about whether you can drink alcohol while using these medications. That can mean that someone who normally has one or two drinks a day may start drinking three more regularly. Form a mutual safety pact with friends, an approach that may help college students when they venture out, McCarthy suggests.
- NIAAA’s free, research-based resources can help cut through the clutter and confusion about how alcohol affects people’s lives.
- We hope that the high rates of alcohol use and negative health effects will decline over time as we return to more typical interactions with each other.
- Koob is an expert on the biology of alcohol and drug addiction and has been studying the impact of alcohol on the brain for more than 50 years.
- Life has changed dramatically since March when communities began enacting stay-at-home orders to slow the spread of COVID-19.
- Alcohol misuse is already a public health concern in the United States, and alcohol has the potential to further complicate the COVID-19 pandemic in multiple ways.
The goal is to slow down the pace of new cases and reduce the peak of cases in the community, as well as the burden on health systems. Perhaps most worrisome, studies show that chronic high alcohol consumption can significantly increase the risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a potentially fatal respiratory condition in which fluid accumulates in the lungs. NIAAA provides an online treatment navigator tool designed for people seeking help, including medication options, Kwako says. Psychologists can teach numerous techniques via telehealth, from mindfulness-based stress prevention to cognitive behavioral therapy, tailoring the approach to each patient’s circumstances and home environment, she says. They also can incorporate motivational enhancement therapy to help patients create a practical plan to change their drinking behavior, think through potential barriers in advance, and develop drink refusal skills. In Europe, evidence showing an increased alcohol consumption, emerged during the second half of 2020 and early 2021.
NIAAA Director, Dr. George Koob, discusses what we know about how alcohol affects our immune and stress systems, along with issues related to treatment access during the pandemic. These symptoms can occur when mixing alcohol with many common over-the-counter pain relievers, as well as certain cold and allergy medications. According to a 2015 article in the journal Alcohol Research, alcohol can prevent immune cells from working properly. It can also cause inflammation to occur, further weakening the immune system. There are a variety of myths regarding alcohol consumption and SARS-CoV-2. Sian Ferguson is a freelance health and cannabis writer based in Cape Town, South Africa.
The pandemic has shone a light on how stress and negative emotions drive a good bit of alcohol misuse. —George F. Koob, Ph.D.
Beyond that, alcohol consumption is already a major public health problem in the U.S., the NIAAA says. Alcohol consumed for long time acts as a stressor on the body and makes it difficult to maintain homeostasis [28,29]. The immediate benefit of alcohol consumption can mask the long-term harmful effect [30,31]. Most often, adults who drink alcohol constantly justify consumption by claiming reducing mental stress, maintaining a state of physical and mental relaxation, but also improving their social behavior [32].
FASD is both predictable and largely preventable but has been consistently ignored” [81]. Other interesting examples may be the decrease of alcohol consumption in college students, after the campus closure, the main explanation being that they got back home, to live with their families, with less social events and binge drinking [46,47]. With other disasters, we’ve seen that these spikes in drinking last 5 or 6 years and then alcohol consumption slowly returns to usual levels. We hope that the high rates of alcohol use and negative health effects will decline over time as we return to more typical interactions with each other.
While one preprint study suggests that alcohol intolerance is a common symptom of long COVID, there’s very little research on the topic. No research suggests that you’ll develop long COVID if you drink alcohol while you have a COVID-19 infection. Specific to the immune system, alcohol can also cause bone marrow suppression, Dr. Fiellin says. “We get many of our cells—including white blood cells, which help defend against disease—from bone marrow. If your bone marrow is suppressed, then you are not going to have as many functioning white blood cells,” he explains. Another approach that psychologists can teach is urge surfing, in which people ride out the urge to drink by focusing on their breathing, Witkiewitz says.
Short- and long-term alcohol consumption during COVID- 19
Men are more likely to drink alcohol to enhance positive feelings, while women are more likely to drink to suppress negative feelings, according to Dr. Karpyak. It was really no surprise that during the first year of the pandemic, alcohol sales jumped by nearly 3%, the largest increase in more than 50 years. Multiple small studies suggest that during the pandemic, about 25% of people drank more than usual, often to cope with stress. crack vs coke We spoke with George F. Koob, Ph.D., director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), to learn about the pandemic’s effects on alcohol use and related harms. Koob is an expert on the biology of alcohol and drug addiction and has been studying the impact of alcohol on the brain for more than 50 years. He is a national leader in efforts to prevent and treat AUD and to educate people about risky alcohol use.
Above all, Witkiewitz suggests that psychologists grant themselves and their patients some grace at a time when the structure and rhythm of everyone’s lives have been upended. If they are progressing toward heavier consumption, the psychologist can work with the patient on a commitment to dial back, for instance deciding to drink no more than twice weekly or no more than one drink each night, he says. Another approach is to ask individuals who drink to start logging when they consume and how much, so they are realistic about their own patterns, he says. NIH-funded study identifies managing maternal stress as a possible way to lessen impacts of prenatal infection on infant socioemotional and cognitive development. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every family across the country, and alcohol misuse is complicating the situation in multiple ways. If you are a healthcare provider, learn how to help patients or clients who need help with an alcohol problem during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is also important to prevent feelings of isolation by reaching out to friends and family when possible. Although some people turn to alcohol, there are many other ways of coping with feelings of depression and anxiety. Excessive alcohol use can lead to or worsen existing mental health problems.
Risky Alcohol Use: An Epidemic Inside the COVID-19 Pandemic
As many restaurants and bars closed, at-home alcohol sales increased, according to data compiled by The Nielsen Company (US) LLC. Also, during the period of shelter-in-place orders, children may have been exposed to unhealthy behaviors related to alcohol use. This could influence their future risk for problem drinking, AUD, and health problems related to alcohol use. There are also a variety of medications available for depression and anxiety. For example, antidepressants can treat the symptoms of depression in some people.
Below are links to important resources for the public, clinicians, and researchers from NIAAA. Alcohol use might also cause or worsen certain mental health conditions during the pandemic. For example, getting regular exercise and practicing stress reduction techniques can help reduce symptoms.
Some research suggests that alcohol intolerance is common for people with long COVID. If you’re ready to enter treatment and stop drinking, you’ll likely have to wait until your COVID-19 infection is no longer transmissible before you enter a detox program. The organization provides information and resources for people with questions and worries about alcohol use, and it also can help people find treatment, if needed. Dr. Fiellin also notes that alcohol can slow the function of cells (responsible for clearing pathogens from the lungs) that line the respiratory tract. And if those cells aren’t functioning properly, SARS-CoV-2 virus particles could have easier access to the lungs.
Many policy changes and trends are likely to continue long after the pandemic ends, increasing the risk of alcohol-related problems. The effects of the pandemic on alcohol-related problems have not been the same for everyone, though. One example is an NIAAA-supported study showing that fewer college students had AUD symptoms during inhalant abuse the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting every family across the country and will likely have a long-lasting impact on public health and well-being. Alcohol misuse is already a public health concern in the United States, and alcohol has the potential to further complicate the COVID-19 pandemic in multiple ways.
To cope, many people turned to alcohol despite the risk of developing alcohol-related problems, including problem drinking and alcohol use disorder (AUD). This article will discuss the myths and facts about alcohol use and COVID-19. It will also explain how alcohol consumption affects mental health and discuss some ways to treat the symptoms of depression and anxiety. For example, some research famous alcoholics you never knew about suggests that poor sleep can make long COVID worse, and difficulty sleeping is a common side effect of drinking alcohol. Moderate drinking is up to one drink (about 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits) per day for women and two drinks for men. High-risk drinking for women is the consumption of four or more drinks on any day or eight or more drinks per week.
