Alcohol consumption increases during COVID-19 crisis

Australians are drinking alcohol more frequently during the COVID-19 pandemic than before, a new report from The Australian National University (ANU) shows. Conducted in May this year, the study collected a range of data on alcohol, tobacco and illicit substance use. The study focuses on self-reported drinking frequency and level of alcohol consumption, comparing it with consumption before the spread of the coronavirus. It is the first study to use longitudinal data to examine the change in alcohol consumption from before and during the pandemic. Co-author Professor Nicholas Biddle, from the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods, said the study found drinking was "slightly higher for males" and "substantially higher for females". The reasons for increases in alcohol consumption were also quite different for males compared to females. "In general, people are more likely to say their alcohol consumption has decreased rather than increased in these types of surveys," Professor Biddle said.