Associations Between COVID-19 Alcohol Policy Restrictions and Alcohol Sales in British Columbia: Variation by Area-based Deprivation Level.

OBJECTIVE: Government alcohol sales data were used to investigate associations between estimates of per capita age 15+ alcohol consumption, policy restrictiveness, and area-level deprivation. METHOD: We analysed weekly consumption data (expressed as per capita age 15+ Canadian standard drinks [13.45g of pure ethanol]), collected from all 89 Local Health Areas in British Columbia, Canada, between April 2017 and April 2021. Our analyses were stratified by outlet type (total, on-premise and off-premise). Our intervention was alcohol policy restrictiveness (operationalized by the Restrictiveness of Alcohol Policy Index), and our moderator was area-level deprivation (Canadian Index of Multiple Deprivation). The Restrictiveness of Alcohol Policy Index included hours of trading, the number of people permitted on site for on-premise venues), the proportion of outlets in operation, and the extent of permissible home delivery. RESULTS: Higher policy restrictiveness was associated with decreased consumption across all outlet types (ps < .001): when the most restrictive policies were implemented, consumption was reduced by 9% and 100% in off- and on-premise outlets, respectively. Area-based deprivation level modified the effect of policy restriction on PCAC (ps < 0.007): for total and off-premise consumption, the decrease was greatest among more economically deprived areas (p < 0.001s); for on-premise outlets, areas with a high proportion of racial and ethnic minorities increased their consumption (ps < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol-specific policy restrictions implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with reduced consumption. However, the magnitude and direction of change was moderated by area-based deprivation level, albeit inconsistently across various deprivation measures.

Drinking during social isolation: investigating associations between stress, inhibitory control, boredom, drinking motives, and alcohol use

Background: We aimed to assess whether stress, boredom, drinking motives, and/or inhibitory control were related to alcohol use during a period of social isolation. Method: Analyses were carried out on questionnaire data (N = 337) collected during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (7 April–3 May 2020). We first assessed changes in drinking behavior, stress and boredom. We then regressed drinking behavior on drinking motives, inhibitory control, stress, and boredom. We also investigated interactions between change in stress/boredom and inhibitory control. Results: A minority of respondents reported increased alcohol use (units = 23.52%, drinking days = 20.73%, heavy days = 7.06%), alcohol-related problems (9.67%), and stress (36.63%). Meanwhile, most respondents reported increased boredom (67.42%). Similarly, boredom significantly increased (B = 21.22, p <.001), on average, while alcohol-related problems decreased (B = −1.43 p <.001). Regarding drinking motives, decreased alcohol-related problems were associated with social drinking motives (B = −0.09, p =.005). Surprisingly, risk-taking was associated with decreased alcohol-related problems (B = −0.02, p =.008) and neither stress nor boredom independently predicted changes in alcohol use. Finally, several significant interactions suggested that those who were more impulsive and less bored were more likely to report increased alcohol use and vice versa. Conclusions: These data provide a nuanced overview of changes in drinking-related behavior during the COVID-19-induced period of social isolation. While most people reduced their drinking, there was evidence of complex interactions between impulsivity and boredom that may be explored in future studies.

Associations Between Self-reported Inhibitory Control, Stress, and Alcohol (Mis)use During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK: a National Cross-sectional Study Utilising Data From Four Birth Cohorts.

We explored (1) self-reported changes in alcohol use during the pandemic in the UK and (2) the extent to which self-reported inhibitory control and/or stress were associated with any change in drinking behaviour. We used a UK-based cross-sectional online survey administered to four nationally representative birth cohorts (N = 13,453). A significant minority of 30- (29.08%) and 50-year-olds (26.67%) reported drinking more, and between 32.23 and 45.02% of respondents reported feeling more stressed depending on the cohort. Stress was associated with hazardous drinking among 30-year-olds (OR = 3.77, 95% CI 1.15 to 12.28). Impatience was associated with both increased alcohol use (1.14, 95% CI 1.06, 1.24) and hazardous drinking (1.20, 95% CI 1.05, 1.38) among 19-year-olds. Risk-taking was associated with hazardous drinking for 30-year-olds (OR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.05, 1.32). These data highlight concerns for those at risk of alcohol misuse and alcohol-related harm during COVID-19 lockdowns. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11469-021-00599-8.