Additionally, moderate levels of alcohol intake were seen in 28.6% of individuals hospitalized for COVID-19 in England ( 17). There are reports of an increased number of emergency room (ER) visits related to alcohol use (including severe alcohol withdrawal syndromes) ( 13– 15) and suicide attempts related to fear of contamination in individuals with severe AUD ( 16). ![]() The scientific community has expressed its concern on alcohol misuse during and after the COVID-19 pandemic ( 10– 12) as preliminary studies have been detecting some alcohol-related problems. Some recent data showed that alcohol sales and delivery increased during the COVID-19 outbreak ( 9, 10). Fear of contamination, personal afflictions (grieving, lack of routine, and isolation), and financial insecurity (i.e., uncertainty and unemployment) are some of the current stressors.Ī review of psychological stressful experiences and alcohol intake concluded that stress is associated with increased risk for excessive alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, and alcohol use disorders (AUD) ( 8). Disasters like pandemics are collective experiences, also called mass traumas, and quarantine restrictions pose an additional threat to individuals' mental integrity ( 2).Īnxiety symptoms, mood disturbances, hypochondriac beliefs, poor sleep, and worries are the most common mental health manifestations in the COVID-19 outbreak ( 3– 7). The consequences of this pandemic on people's mental health are still unknown, but the available data suggest that the situation can be considered a “disaster” ( 1). Since its outbreak, the entire world is facing health and economic challenges. The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is an unprecedented situation in the 21st century. The discussion of previous risk and protective factors can contribute to elaborate more specific public health policies to mitigate the impact of the current pandemic on people's mental health, especially alcohol-related problems. Being male, young, and single also seems to be associated with a higher vulnerability to develop risky drinking behavior after those tragic events. Previous studies reported increases in alcohol use associated with those events mediated, at least partially, by anxiety and depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). ![]() The main keywords used to select the studies were alcohol use, drinking patterns, alcohol use disorders, and alcohol-related consequences. Studies on mass traumatic events (i.e., terrorism as 9/11), epidemic outbreaks (i.e., severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003), economic crises (such as 2008's Great Recession), and COVID-19 were selected. We investigated how traumatic events related to alcohol consumption. This study aims to provide a better understanding of what to expect in terms of alcohol consumption, risk factors for excessive use, and its potential consequences during this pandemic based on previous experiences. Alcohol use, especially drinking to cope with stress, is a concern, as an increase in its sales has been reported in some countries during the quarantine. The enormous health and economic challenges precipitated by the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic are comparable or even greater than those associated with previous historical world crises.
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