Pandemic Drinking Lasted For Years
Spike in alcohol use during the pandemic continues today
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The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with increases in stress-related drinking and alcohol-related deaths, and new research suggests drinking didn’t stop as things returned to normal.
The study was published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, and claims drinking increases from 2018 to 2020 persisted into 2022.
Researchers say, “Potential causes of this sustained increase include normalization of and adaptation to increased drinking due to stress from the pandemic and disrupted access to medical services.”
Regardless of the cause, experts say the findings highlight an “alarming public health issue,” as alcohol is a leading cause of illness and death in the United States.
Originally, the increase in drinking was due to social isolation, disruption and daily activity and general lack of accessibility to healthcare and mental healthcare during a really stressful time,” a researcher said. “However, we’re seeing that these trends are sustained, meaning that either people don’t know where to get help (or) they don’t know that they need help.”
Source: CBS News
Spike in alcohol use during the pandemic continues today was originally published on mix1079.com
