Table 1.
Literature review of alcohol consumption behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic.
| References | Country | Year | Sample size | Main findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahmed et al. (13) | China | April 2020 | 1,074 (aged 14–68 years) |
In China, Hubei province had significantly higher proportions of harmful drinking (11.1 vs. 1.9%), hazardous drinking (33.5 vs. 21.5%), and AUD (6.8 vs. 1.0%) compared to other provinces. |
| Sun et al. (14) | China | From March 24–31, 2020 | 6,416 (mean age 28.23 ± 9.23 years) |
In China, participants increased only marginally during the COVID-19 pandemic from 31.13 to 32.7% for alcohol drinking. Some 32.1% of regular drinkers reported an increased amount of alcohol drinking, 18.7% of ex-drinkers relapsed, and 1.7% of non-drinkers initiated the use of alcohol. |
| Stanton et al. (15) | Australia | From April 9–19, 2020 | 1,491 (mean age 50.5 ± 14.9 years) |
In Australia, 22.3% of the participants reported consuming alcohol on ≤ 4 occasions per week. Of these, 26.6% reported increased alcohol consumption since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was associated with higher depression, anxiety, and stress. |
| Jackson et al. (16) | UK | Between April 2019–February 2020 and April 2020 | 20,558 (Adults) |
In England, the prevalence of high-risk drinking (scores ≥5 as high-risk drinkers in AUDIT-C) increased during the COVID-19 lockdown compared to before the lockdown (25.1 vs. 38.3%). |
| Daly & Robinson (17) | UK | Between 2016–2018 and May 2020 | 3,358 (middle-aged) |
In the UK, high-risk drinkers (scores ≥5 in AUDIT-PC) before the pandemic increased from 19.4 to 24.6% during the pandemic. The prevalence of drinking ≥4 times per week doubled from 12.5 to 26% between 2016–2018 and May 2020, respectively. |
| Niedzwiedz et al. (18) | UK | Between 2015 and 2020 | 9,748 (18 years of age or older) |
In the UK Household Longitudinal study, the prevalence of psychological distress increased from 19.4% in 2017–2019 to 30.6% during the pandemic period. Frequent (≥4 times a week) and binge drinking (≥6 drinks on one occasion) increased more among women. |
| Suffoletto et al. (19) | U.S.A. | April 1, 2020 | 50 (aged 18–25 years) |
In Pittsburgh, an online survey was conducted over 6 weeks during the social isolation. Participants with any in-person contact decreased alcohol drinking from 44 to 29% in the 1st week of stay-at-home, and increased to 65% by week 6 of the stay-at-home. Young adults who drank alcohol reported more in-person contacts compared to non-drinking days. |
| Korean Addiction Forum (20) | Korea | From May 20–29, 2020 | 1,017 (Adults) |
In Korea, 54.2% of the respondents reported decreased alcohol drinking after COVID-19, with only 7.5% indicating an increase. Participants who drank fewer than four glasses of alcohol increased from 45 to 52.9% after COVID-19, while people who drank more than test glasses reduced from 23.3 to 17%. |
| Weerakoon et al. (21) | U.S.A. | Between April 29–June 9, 2019 and May 28–Jun 16, 2020 | 1,540 (aged 30–59 years) |
A nationally representative sample using the RAND Corporation American Life Panel (ALP) reported that the frequency of alcohol consumption showed an increase of 0.74 days during the pandemic, as compared to the baseline of 5.48 days in 2019. Specifically, increases in heavy drinking days (0.18 vs. 0.07 days) and alcohol-related problems (39 vs. 27%; as measured by the Short Inventory of Problems Scale) were more evident in women than in men. |
| Korean Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (22) | Korea | From March to May, September, and December, 2020 | 4,079 (aged 19–70 years) |
A mental health survey by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare reported that the prevalence of frequent alcohol consumption increased steadily over time during the pandemic (8.35% in March, 11.57% in May, 10.68% in September, and 15.02% in December). Furthermore, the quantity of alcohol use increased with the duration of the pandemic (6.34% in March, 9.72% in May, 9.48% in September, and 12.33% in December). |