PANDEMIC POTATIONS
We’re drinking more
The “quarantini,” a portmanteau drawn from the words “quarantine” and “martini,” is more than just a bit of idle cleverness resulting from having too much time on our hands during the COVID-19 crisis.
It turns out it’s also a side-effect of the pandemic itself, as Canadians have increasingly turned to alcohol during their hours of self-isolation and distancing.
That’s the conclusion of a Nanos Research survey commissioned by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.
The survey of 1,036 Canadians, conducted between March 30 and April 2, shows that fully one-quarter of Canadians aged 35-54, and one-fifth of those aged 18-34, say they have increased the amount of alcohol they’ve consumed while largely confined to their homes during the pandemic. Only 10 per cent of Canadians over 54, meanwhile, say they’re drinking more.
Overall, 18 per cent of Canadians indicated they are drinking more, while 12 per cent said they are drinking less.
The report also showed smaller increases and decreases in cannabis use during the pandemic, with six per cent reporting greater use, and four per cent saying their cannabis use declined.
The survey noted, too, that 94 per cent of Canadians reported they are currently staying home more due to the pandemic. Ontario, at 96 per cent, is the region with the highest self-isolation rate.
Numerous determinants are responsible for the increase in drinking, with the report identifying a lack of a regular schedule (51 per cent), boredom (49 per cent), stress (44 per cent) and loneliness (19 per cent) as the top four. Among women whose drinking has increased, stress was the main factor, at 57 per cent, while only 32 per cent of men offered the same reason. Boredom, at 54 per cent, was the chief reason men cited for drinking more.
Of those who are drinking less, 61 per cent pointed to fewer social gatherings and other opportunities as the reason for the decline, while 36 per cent cited an interest in maintaining their health in case they get COVID-19.
Dr. Catherine Paradis, senior research and policy analyst at CCSA, points to a blurring of the line between people’s work and leisure as a possible explanation for the increase in alcohol consumption.
“The Canadian drinking is one where alcohol use serves as a boundary between weekday and weekend, work and leisure,” she says. “It marks a timeout — ‘At the end of the day, I’ll have a drink. On Friday, at the beginning of the weekend, I’ll have a drink.’ That’s usually how we decide at what moment we’ll have a drink.”
Alcohol in Canadian society, she adds, is also a social object we consume at out-of-the-ordinary events, such as weddings and funerals. “It really had this symbolic component to it.
“But with the ongoing threat of COVID-19, all those boundaries have been blurred, so it has become difficult for individuals to gauge when work and related activities end and leisure time begins, much like during the holidays. And the line between what is ordinary and what is extraordinary is blurred.”
Paradis says she’s concerned that many people who have increased their alcohol consumption will have a difficult time returning to their customary levels once this crisis passes.
“Don’t underestimate how addictive alcohol is,” she says. “After six, seven or eight weeks of daily drinking, going back to your preCOVID drinking patterns, that were perhaps two or three times a week, might not be as easy as we expect it to be. People need to be aware of that.”
Visit ccsa.ca for more information.