A surge of stress-related drinking and alcohol-related deaths brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic in the US has not tapered off the way Dr. Brian Lee, a transplant hepatologist at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, had hoped. “I was hopeful we would see declines in alcohol use, but I’m practicing liver specialist, and the reality is, we had definitely seen a rise in patients with liver failure, which is really an extreme, I think, clinical condition from excessive alcohol use,” Lee stated.
New research, led by Lee and published on November 12 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found continual increases in alcohol consumption among people in the US since the early days of the pandemic. The study revealed alarming trends, showing not only the persistence of high-level drinking, but also slight continual increases post-2020.
The data for this shocking conclusion was drawn from the National Health Interview Survey administered by the US Census Bureau. This involved almost 25,000 respondents from 2018, about 31,000 from 2020, and almost 27,000 from 2022. By comparing these data sets, researchers could glean meaningful insights about drinking habits and trends over time.
What they uncovered is significant. Statistics revealed, for example, the percentage of Americans who reported consuming alcohol at some level increased to 69.3% by 2022. This marks not only a slight but noteworthy uptick from 69% reported in 2020, which itself had already been higher than figures from 2018, where 66.34% of respondents indicated they drank.
Heavy drinking patterns also demonstrated concerning climbs. Among those surveyed, almost 6.3% emerged as heavy drinkers by 2022, inching up from 6.13% stated back in 2020 and starkly climbing from 5.1% reported just four years earlier.
Many experts have expressed alarm but not surprise at these findings. Dr. Jagpreet Chhatwal, who directs the Institute for Technology Assessment at Massachusetts General Hospital and was not involved with Lee’s study, remarked, “While the findings are troubling, they are not surprising. Alcohol consumption has been steadily increasing over the past several years.”
When digging down to specifics, the data revealed stark changes across demographics. For example, white Americans had the most significant shift toward heavy drinking behaviors. Data noted about 7.3% of this demographic self-identified as heavy drinkers, considerably up from 5.7% recorded back in 2018 and from 7.1% two years later. Women also reported increased heavy drinking tendencies; 6.45% of female respondents now identified as heavy drinkers compared to only 6.1% of males.
This stark rise can be attributed to numerous stressors linked to the pandemic, including heightened anxiety over health, job losses, and changes to daily routines or social gatherings. Many have used alcohol as both coping mechanism and social lubricant during re-emerging from isolation.
The study underlines serious public health challenges as attention shifts to post-pandemic recovery. Lee and colleagues argue these findings should compel healthcare officials to respond with increased vigilance—accessible resources and programs for individuals confronting alcohol use disorder or struggling with drinking.
Global health officials have long warned against increased substance use born from pandemic isolation. The World Health Organization initially flagged rising tendencies toward alcohol use among many populations, foreseeing increased mental health concerns coming down the pipeline.
Considering the numbers, the gravity of their warnings appears justified. More than ever, communities must find ways to rally around individuals slipping through the cracks due to excessive alcohol use, which so frequently coexists alongside prevalent mental health disorders.
Looking forward, research must continuously evaluate alcohol use trends, especially as different states and countries adapt their approaches to managing pandemic fallout. Conversations around public health policies must evolve as well to equip communities with effective strategies—education, access to mental health support, and rehabilitation programs could play pivotal roles.
With increasing numbers indicating no sign of transitional decreases, health officials stress the importance of recognizing the significance of these findings. Moving beyond simple observations, pathing solutions will require investment, awareness, and public health endeavors aimed explicitly at alcohol misuse recovery, all spurred by the evident trends revealed through this recent research.
