Substances use between early and later stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel.

AIMS: Only several empirical studies have examined substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic in general populations. Most of these studies compared self-reported substances use before the pandemic and during the pandemic's early stages. This study aims to identify the changes in substance use between the early and later waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey recruited 750 participants (ages 18-65) in two waves: (1) 427 during and following the first lockdown (April-mid-May, 2020); and (2) 323 following the second lockdown (from October to mid-November, 2020). RESULTS: Participants who experienced two lockdowns reported more frequent consumption of all alcoholic beverages and cannabis in the last 30 days than those who experienced one lockdown. After controlling for demographic variables, significant differences were found between participants who experienced one lockdown and those who experienced two lockdowns in the consumption of alcoholic beverages (F(1, 742) = 6.90, p = .01, η2 = .01). However, there was no significant association between pandemic duration and other illegal drug consumption. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant association between pandemic duration and alcohol consumption. Policymakers and practitioners should develop national alcohol and cannabis use prevention and harm reduction interventions during pandemics with a focus on men, singles and youth.

Commentary: The Need to Establish the First Safe Consumption Site in Israel

Important harm reduction initiatives, aimed at reducing the health-related harms associated mostly with the injection of opioids, include opioid maintenance treatment (OMT), needle and syringe exchange programs (NSEPs), heroinassisted treatment (HAT), safe consumption sites (SCS), also known as drug consumption rooms (DCRs), overdose prevention centers (OPC) and safe or supervised injecting sites (SISs) (2, 3). During the 1990s, SCS were established in the Netherlands and Germany. Since 2000, additional countries have established SCS, including Norway, Spain, Luxembourg, Australia, and Canada (6). Residents of the area suffer from a high crime rate and a low sense of security, as shown in an ethnographic study conducted in this area over a period of three years (1, 22). [...]businesses in this area have become less profitable and attractive, and the value of properties is lower than in several similarly constructed areas in Tel Aviv. Despite these efforts, there are still high rates of crime, exposure to repeated traumas as a result of living in a dangerous environment;injection in public places and in residential neighborhoods;and the people who inject drugs continue to suffer from "substance insecurity" included injection in non-sterile conditions, leading to repeated infections (1, 3, 22). [...]the COVID-19 pandemic has raised additional difficulties for PWIDs in Israel.

Gender, employment, and continuous pandemic as predictors of alcohol and drug consumption during the COVID-19.

AIMS: This study aims to assess the impacts of the continuous pandemic state, gender and employment status on changes in substance use during the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS: A sample of 828 Israelis participated in an online survey and answered questions on demographic characteristics, ranking their substance consumption, and perceived increase in alcohol/drug consumption. The age range was 18-65 (Mean = 30.10, S.D. = 11.99), and the majority (72.9 %) were female. We gathered the data in two waves: 1) during and following the early first lockdown; 2) following the second lockdown. RESULTS: Men reported higher beer, hard liquor, and illegal drug consumption than women. Continuous COVID-19 was associated with higher consumption of all alcohol, and cannabis, and higher perceived increases in substance consumption than short-term COVID-19. Significant interactions were found between gender and employment regarding all-drug consumption measurements and interactions between gender, employment, and pandemic duration (short/continuous) were found regarding cannabis consumption. CONCLUSIONS: The discussion addresses the results in the context of continuous COVID-19 and traditional gender roles. Policymakers should develop prevention and harm reduction interventions for substance use and abuse, focusing on unemployed men as an at-risk group.

Addictive behaviors and craving during the COVID-19 pandemic of people who have recovered from substance use disorder.

Stressors caused by the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) contribute to increased addictive behaviors in the general population worldwide. Little is known, however, about addictive behaviors of people who have recovered a long time ago, even years, from substance use disorder (SUD). The goal of the present research was to examine the craving for drug use and addictive behaviors (tobacco and alcohol consumption, viewing of pornography, gambling, and shopping online) of people who recovered from SUD, before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: During one week of isolation imposed in Israel following the outbreak of COVID-19 in April, 2020, a self-report questionnaire was distributed to a convenience sample of 113 people who had recovered from SUD, aged 22-69, 78% men.Results Fifty-one percent of participants reported craving drugs during the isolation period and engaging in addictive behaviors. Significant differences were found in tobacco and alcohol consumption, gambling, and viewing of pornography online, before and after the outbreak of the pandemic, especially in participants who reported having engaged in these addictive behaviors to some extent before the outbreak. A hierarchical linear regression showed a significant explained variance (R2=44%, p<.001), with stronger feelings of loneliness and shorter length of time free from drug use being associated with stronger craving for drugs.Conclusions: The drug addiction treatment establishment should pay close attention and strengthen communication with people who recovered from SUD. It is necessary to develop real-time anti-craving and anti-replacement addiction interventions to prevent relapses.