Looser liquor laws boosted restaurants — and maybe problem drinking

Most states that allowed curbside pickup or home delivery of alcohol to help restaurants, bars and liquor stores survive pandemic closures have extended the looser liquor laws. But in their desire to boost the hospitality industry, states might be fueling binge drinking and higher overall alcohol consumption, some research shows.

Of the 35 states (plus the District of Columbia) that loosened their cocktails to-go laws during the pandemic, 18 plus D.C. have made the rules permanent, and 14 have extended them, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

Many factors have prompted some people to drink more during the pandemic. Some drank to deal with their anxiety, stress or grief. Those working at home had easier access to alcohol and spent less time commuting in their cars. Many normal social interactions were canceled or curtailed.

But some researchers say looser laws also contributed to a rise in binge drinking and overall consumption, with all the attendant health harms.

A study published earlier this year by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that people who had alcohol delivered reported consuming more drinks and drinking on more days than people who obtained it through other methods.

The survey conducted in May 2020, two months after the pandemic began, found that people who had alcohol delivered were nearly twice as likely to engage in binge drinking compared with those who obtained it other ways.

“With the increase in availability, we see excessive use,” said Alicia Sparks, chair of the nonprofit U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance, which lobbied against looser state laws. “There’s really strong science around increased availability leading to increased consumption and increased harm.”

A study conducted by RTI International, a North Carolina-based research institute, found an overall increase in alcohol consumption that began with the onset of the pandemic and continued throughout 2020. In terms of drinks per month, alcohol consumption was 39% higher in November 2020 than it was in February 2020, the month before the pandemic began, according to the study. Binge drinking increased by 30% during the same period.

There were especially large increases in consumption during that time frame among Black and Hispanic women (173% and 148%, respectively) and Black men (173%).

Carolina Barbosa, a health economist at RTI, said to-go alcohol sales and expanded delivery services probably played a role in the increases. Barbosa said states are loosening the rules without regard to the data on increased alcohol consumption, which can lead to numerous public health consequences such as alcoholism and liver disease.

“Yes, the problem is in many states (looser laws) are becoming permanent,” Barbosa said in a phone interview. “For sure, they should be rethought.”

But others question the connection between looser laws and increased consumption — or even that people drank more during the pandemic.

The Distilled Spirits Council, a trade association, pointed to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, issued by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In the most recent report, which covers 2020, only 15.4% of people 12 or older said they drank “a little more or much more” than they did before the pandemic. More than 59% said they drank “about the same,” and more than a quarter said they drank less.