NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Mothers with young kids increased their drinking consumption by 323% between the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and toward the end of 2020, a recent study found.
The research by the nonprofit RTI International for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism studied how the pandemic affected American drinking habits.
Consumption in November 2020 was 39% higher as compared to February 2020 — ahead of the first wave — while there was a sharp 36% increase between February and April 2020.
Binge drinking also saw a 26% increase between February and April 2020 while from February to November there was a 30% jump.
Carolina Barbosa, a health economist at RTI, said drinking consumptions increased throughout the entire year rather than just a portion of 2020.
"Our study shows that people didn't just increase their alcohol consumption for a month or two at the beginning of the pandemic — the trend held for nearly the entire year," Barbosa said. "Increases in alcohol consumption have been associated with natural disasters and other large-scale events that induce stress and anxiety, and a pandemic certainly fits that description."
Along with mothers of kids 5 and under, some of the largest increases from February and November occurred in Black and Hispanic women — with 173% and 148% increases. Men who "selected something other than White, Black or Hispanic" had a 209% increase, while Black men had a reported 173% increase.
Barbosa noted women may be using alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with the stress of the pandemic.
"Women are more likely to use alcohol to cope with stress, depression, and anxiety, and all these are a natural response to the COVID-19 pandemic," she said. "Alcohol consumption among women has been on the uptick for past two decades, and our study suggests the pandemic may only exacerbate that trend."