A quarter of adults reported drinking more during first lockdown

A quarter of people in the UK reported drinking more than usual during the first lockdown, particularly those who were younger, female and suffering from anxiety, finds a study by UCL researchers. The study, published today in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, surveyed over 30,000 adults about their drinking behaviour during the earliest stage of lockdown between 21 March and 4 April 2020 and found that a third (34.3%) weren't drinking. Among people who drank, 48.1% reported drinking about the same, 26.2% reported drinking more and 25.7% reported drinking less than usual during the surveyed week. The study shows that younger women with post-16 educational qualifications and a household income over £30,000 were more likely to report increased alcohol consumption. Researchers also found that having an anxiety disorder, being stressed about finances or about catching or becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 were factors associated with increased alcohol consumption. Lead author, Dr Claire Garnett (UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care) said: "Despite women being more likely than men to report drinking more than usual during lockdown, heaviness of drinking is still positively associated with being male, which was the case before lockdown.