Are you drinking too much at home? This study says that lockdown measures may be the reason!

Washington: A new study has found that lockdown measures throughout 2020 were associated with people in Scotland and England drinking more alcohol at home. This research has been published in the ‘Addiction Journal’. The latest study by researchers from the University of Sheffield and the University of Glasgow measured the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on drinking practices in 2020, using data from nearly 300,000 adult drinkers.

Study finds that when people were drinking roughly the same amount of alcohol during the restrictions period as they were when there were no restrictions, the lockdown was linked to changes in drinking habits at home, late in the evening Was.

In Scotland, the study found that there was also an increase in drinking alone, although researchers said this could be explained by a higher proportion of people living alone in Scotland than in England.

Drinking at home remains an under-researched area, and the long-term effects of these recent changes are not yet known, with the study authors suggesting that these new drinking habits should be closely monitored as we Proceed in a period of less restrictions.

During the first UK lockdown, places such as pubs and restaurants were closed, affecting the types of places where people could drink. Restrictions eased from July 2020, allowing pubs and restaurants to gradually reopen.

However, from September 2020 in response to the increasing number of cases, a series of national and local restrictions were implemented, which once again affected hospitality settings. The research team studied 41,500 adult drinkers in Scotland and more than 250,000 adult drinkers in England. Original March 2020 lockdown, easing of restrictions in July 2020 and introduction of further restrictions in September 2020 till December 2020.

While the data showed that there was no statistical difference in the total number of alcohol units consumed each week during different periods of the first year of the pandemic, a more detailed analysis showed that the lockdown restrictions were more effective than those drinking later in the day. were associated, and in Scotland where the proportion of people living alone is higher, than in the number of lonely drinkers.

Study co-author Dr. Abigail Stewley, from the University of Sheffield’s Alcohol Research Group, said: “Despite some concerns that people may drink more during the day, we actually found that a shift toward people had begun. Drinking alcohol later in the evening during restrictions. This probably reflects a change in people’s routines and the absence of opportunities for day-to-day socialization such as going to the pub with coworkers after work.”

“While we found that lockdown restrictions did not change the overall level of alcohol consumption, there is evidence from other studies that heavy drinkers have increased their consumption. So to prevent additional health problems in the future, during the pandemic It will be important to continue to monitor drinking,” Steele said.

The study findings suggested that the consumption of shop-bought alcohol increased after the March 2020 lockdown and remained consistently higher for the rest of 2020 than in previous years, even in the period when the lockdown Restrictions were eased. Meanwhile, hospitality alcohol consumption declined after the March 2020 lockdown and remained lower during the rest of 2020 than in previous years.

Researchers believe this is most likely attributed to three reasons: even when on-trade premises reopened they were operating at reduced capacity; Some venues (such as nightclubs and live music venues) remained closed; Some may have continued to stay away from hospitality settings even in periods of less restrictions for fear of catching COVID-19.

Study lead author Dr. Ian Hardy, from the University of Glasgow MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, said: “It is not clear further what the long-term consequences of changes in alcohol consumption will be in 2020. Hospitality complexes operate at close to full capacity. With this happening, it is likely that alcohol consumption in these places will approach pre-pandemic levels, although in response to the new forms they could potentially decrease again if restrictions are reimposed or people indoors. Afraid of spaces.”

“However, the increase in home drinking is a concern in 2020. We know from other studies that alcohol-related harm has increased during the pandemic. The increase in home drinking has contributed to this. In the past, Drinking at home has been a relatively under-researched topic, and more monitoring is now needed to find out whether these home drinking habits picked up by people in 2020 will form a new pattern within people’s drinking behavior. become a role model,” Hadi said.