Are you drinking more alcohol during lockdown?

From ‘virtual drinks’ to, ‘I’ve earned a G&T’, drinking has, for many of us, become synonymous with lockdown.

And even if you drank alcohol to some extent before coronavirus, you may well be among those drinking more right now.

A survey by Alcohol Change has found that one in five of us are drinking more in lockdown – equating to around 8.6million adults. Meanwhile, 7% of those surveyed said alcohol made tension worse in their household during lockdown.

“Stress can be a big trigger for drinking. Combine that with the added pressures and boredom of lockdown, and it’s not surprising we might find ourselves reaching for a drink more often,” says Dr Richard Piper, chief executive of Alcohol Change UK (alcoholchange.org.uk).

While one in three of us are now drinking less than before lockdown, it is, he says, “concerning that one in five of us are drinking more frequently”, especially when “those who were heavier drinkers before lockdown seem to be more likely to fall into this camp”.

“Many people tell us their trigger for drinking is boredom. During lockdown we might be bored more often, and so find ourselves falling into drinking,” notes Piper. “We might also use alcohol as a way to distinguish work time from fun time. But there are other ways to have fun which don’t involve alcohol.”

What are your views? Are you finding that you are more tempted to drink alcohol during lockdown? Are you more likely to drink on a sunny day? Or has your alcohol consumption remained the same? Or do you prefer not to drink at all?