Lockdown Fears over Covid problem drinking
NEARLY one in four Scots have been found to be “problem drinking” during the pandemic, while nearly half have said they have consumed more alcohol than usual, a new survey has revealed.
It has raised concerns that many Scots are putting themselves in danger, with some risking serious damage to their health, if increased pandemic drinking trends are not reversed.
An unweighted major study of 5,000 Scots using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test which indicates the
potential risk of drinking habits found that over one-quarter (26.5 per cent) were judged to be at either increasing risk, higher risk or possible dependence.
It found that women were more likely to be placed in all three categories, with 39% found to be in a risk status.
The survey providing a snapshot of Covid drinking, conducted by drug, alcohol and mental health charity We Are With You, found 30% drank to deal with stress and anxiety.
Andrew Horne, director in Scotland for With You, said: “These are really tough times for everyone. Uncertainty and anxiety cloud our lives, while the necessary restrictions to control the virus have left lots of people socially isolated.
It’s no wonder many are drinking more as a way to cope.
“2019 saw one of the biggest yearon-year reductions in alcoholrelated deaths in the past 40 years in Scotland. Unfortunately, there’s a chance that the impact of the pandemic could undo this progress. The number of people regularly drinking 10 plus units in a single session, often as a way of dealing with mental health issues, is concerning, as is the number of people judged to be at risk.”
There have been nearly 11,000 deaths caused by alcohol recorded between 2010 and 2019.
Some 23,751 people in Scotland were admitted to a general acute hospital with an alcohol-related diagnosis in 2018/19 – four times higher than in the early 1980s.
But official figures also show that before the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, the number of alcohol specific deaths had dropped by 10% in the last full year from 1,136 in 2018 to 1,020 in 2019.
That was the first substantial drop in the number of alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland since 2012.
“We see everyday the amazing impact support can have on people’s lives. Yet 93% of people who responded have never accessed any kind of support,” added Mr Horne.