Although the long-term impacts of this pandemic are unknown, predictions have suggested a reduction in alcohol consumption as an immediate effect, but an increase in consumption in the medium and long-term [6]. This raises the need to appropriately address SUD problems contextually in different phases of the pandemic [7]. Special attention needs to be focused on preventive aspects of alcohol related harms [8]. In contrast, seven studies reported an increase in the use of alcohol during the pandemic 10 natural remedies for alcohol withdrawal ark behavioral health (Ahmed et al., 2020, Boehnke et al., 2020, Gritsenko et al., 2020, Lechner et al., 2020, Rogers et al., 2020, Sidor and Rzymski, 2020, Sun et al., 2020). Electronic searches of databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Sociological Abstracts) were conducted using a combination of keywords relating to alcohol and other substance use during the Covid-19 pandemic. Our search was restricted to articles published in peer-reviewed journals, from December 1, 2019 to November 30, 2020.

COVID-19 Risk Appears to Vary Across Different Alcoholic Beverages

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines excessive alcohol use as binge drinking, heavy drinking, alcohol use by people under the minimum legal drinking age, and alcohol use by pregnant women. AUD is a clinical diagnosis that indicates someone’s drinking is causing distress and harm. Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a large family of viruses that can infect both humans and animals [1]. In humans, coronaviruses cause respiratory infections, which can range from a common cold to severe conditions, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) [2]. COVID-19 was first identified in late 2019 in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province in China, in patients who developed pneumonia without being able to establish a clear cause [4]. There are no specific treatments for COVID-19 infection yet, although many candidate therapies are being evaluated in clinical trials [[5], [6], [7], [8]] and several COVID-19 vaccines are approved or under evaluation for approval by authorities [[9], [10], [11]].

Key findings with respect to changes in alcohol use patterns

In the first few weeks of the lockdown, alcohol sales for off-premise locations jumped 54% and online alcohol sales had increased by 262% compared to sales data from the same week in 2019. From March to September 2020, there were $41.9 billion in liquor store sales, representing an increase of 20% from the same period the previous year. According to the CDC, excessive drinking costs the country around $249 billion annually, when combining healthcare expenditures, lost earnings and productivity, criminal justice implications, vehicle crashes, property damage, and more.

3. Data extraction

1. Two studies reported a statistically significant role of ethnicity in increasing drug use during lockdown.
2. Odds ratios and 95% CIs for the association between alcohol consumption and COVID-19 risk, separated by amount of alcohol consumption.
3. In contrast, the beer and cider, regardless of amount (1–2 glasses/week, 1.11 [1.03, 1.21]; 3–4 glasses/week, 1.24 [1.11, 1.39]; and ≥ 5 glasses/week, 1.34 [1.17, 1.53]), were identified as risk factors for COVID-19 compared with non-drinkers.
4. According to a 2015 article in the journal Alcohol Research, alcohol can prevent immune cells from working properly.

Further, among young adults with hazardous drinking, adherence to public policies was low and declined over a period of time during the lockdown [89]. Although some nations banned alcohol sales completely during lockdown, others declared it as an essential commodity, resulting in different problems across countries. Alcohol use has added to the burden of the problem particularly among vulnerable groups like the adolescents, elderly, patients with cancer, as well as health professionals.

Can I drink alcohol before getting a COVID-19 booster?

Hence, steps to optimise resources and to mitigate suffering in the most affected populations is necessary. In the UK, alcohol purchase increased by 40% during lockdown across all strata [103]. The US reported increased alcohol sale during the initial part of the lockdown [104]. There are documented instances of attempts by the alcohol industry to influence public policy by framing ecstasy addiction and abuse alcohol as an essential product and arguing that restrictions are complex and ineffective [105]. In Australia, industry resorted to social media advertising through new means like memes. It was observed that there were advertisements every 35 s, focusing on easy access, encouragement to buy more alcohol, to drink during COVID-19, drinking to cope and normalising alcohol [106▪].

According to several anecdotal reports, alcohol intolerance, which is characterized by reactions like nausea, low blood pressure, fatigue, and dizziness when consuming alcohol, may be a unique symptom of long COVID. For instance, the patient could identify a stressful scenario that typically spurs the desire to drink and then brainstorm a handful of things they could do instead, Kwako says. That list may include ideas such as meditating for five minutes or texting a friend, she says. Still, the movement of many AA meetings to online only poses challenges, Witkiewitz says. Not only do they block off this lifeline to support and continued sobriety for those without the necessary technology, but the online format itself can be more limiting.

Similar google trend analysis suggests post lockdown increase in search terms related to alcohol withdrawal and methods of procurement, reflecting changes in trends [97▪]. Finally, among alcohol users diagnosed with COVID-19, treatment of patients with alcohol-related liver disease and heavy alcohol use warrants caution when medicines such as chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, as combination can lead to hepatotoxicity [91]. Hence, screening patients with alcohol use is important especially in areas with higher prevalence of alcohol use disorders or history of liver disease. Furthermore, use of medications like Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in patients with alcohol use disorder poses a risk of hepatotoxicity. Data from other countries suggests reductions in alcohol use during the pandemic. An online survey in nine European countries [49] reported reduced alcohol use and harmful drinking secondary to lockdown and restrictions on sales, especially among young women [50,51,52].

Across substances, levels of COVID-19-related worry and fear were highest among those people who initiated substances during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to those who used substances prior and those who never used (Rogers et al., 2020). Likewise, anxiety about Covid was a reason for an increase in use in medical cannabis users (Boehnke et al., 2020). In the former study, participants without access to legal cannabis and those with fewer responsibilities were more likely to report decreased frequency of cannabis (Boehnke et al., 2020). The global SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a substantial impact on the lives of people around the world including intensifying mental health difficulties (Czeisler et al., 2020). The spread of the disease has necessitated quarantine or “lockdown” measures as the principal containment tool (Rubin and Wessely, 2020). These factors are likely to affect other health-related behaviours and may generate a change in the consumption of alcohol and other substances (Carrico et al., 2020, Clay and Parker, 2020).

Challenges persist amid a pandemic culture rife with references to Zoom happy hours, quarantinis, and in which some states have relaxed restrictions allowing for curbside pickup of liquor and cocktails-to-go from restaurants. Meanwhile, some of the traditional outlets to distract and relieve stress are less available, including spending time with friends and heading to the gym. During this time, it’s important to acknowledge and understand these challenges that you may face in order to avoid using alcohol to self-medicate, potentially increasing certain COVID-19 related risks.

During ALD one of the mechanisms of viral action (strengthened by the action of ethanol) favoring bacterial overlap is the overexpression in the lung of some adhesion proteins (hemagglutinin, neuraminidase) and the alteration of cell junctions (Bosch et al., 2013). Women, Dr. Fiellin notes, metabolize alcohol less efficiently than men, meaning they have higher concentrations of it in their blood when they drink the same amount. Read stories about the efforts underway to prevent, detect, and treat COVID-19 and its effects on our health.

Future research can focus on addressing the mental health needs of people with alcoholism or substance use disorders and people prone to it, especially during very stressful events. Services for patients with alcohol misconceptions alcohol use disorders have been adversely affected across the globe. It is thus important to focus and train healthcare workers like nursing health professionals to deliver addiction related services [117].

Weekend drinking behaviors were significantly responsible for these reductions, with weekend frequency and quantity falling by 0.5 days and 7.9 drinks compared to 0.1 days and 4.9 drinks during the week. In the present prospective study, researchers compared alcohol use and trends before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. They used individual growth models to analyze the trajectories of changes in drinking habits following COVID-19 onset. (A–F) Non-linear associations between the amount of alcohol consumption and COVID-19 risk. Some evidence suggests that post-COVID-19 fatigue syndrome may share characteristics with ME/CFS, a condition where approximately 4 out of 5 people exhibit alcohol intolerance.

Although evidence suggests substance and alcohol use may change during the Covid-19 pandemic there has been no full review of the evidence around this. Facing the COVID-19 (new coronavirus disease) pandemic, countries must take decisive action to stop the spread of the virus. 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.