Has your alcohol consumption increased during the pandemic?

The pandemic and the lockdowns and social restrictions have impacted us all in so many ways.

In a recent survey, 58% of Silversurfers members said their mental health has been affected negatively during the pandemic and lockdown restrictions, and 78% of members have not sought any professional help. and don’t intend to.

Some of us have been ‘comfort eating’, and as the days of the week have become blurred, others may have found themselves drinking alcohol on days they normally wouldn’t.

In shops and supermarkets, just over 12.6 million extra litres of alcohol were sold in the financial year 2020 to 2021 compared to 2019 to 2020.

Despite pubs, clubs and restaurants closing for around 31 weeks during lockdowns, people have been drinking at home, which is understandable.

There has been a “shocking” increase in the harm caused by alcohol during the pandemic, with a 20% rise in deaths caused directly by drinking, new figures show.

A report from Public Health England (PHE) on people’s habits in England in 2020 found that people were drinking more as Covid-19 took hold while alcohol misuse also increased.

All types of alcohol saw increases but these were largest for beer (up 31%), followed by spirits (26%), wine (20%) and cider (18%).

PHE found that those people who tended to drink the most before the pandemic “bought a lot more once the first lockdown happened”.

Has your alcohol consumption altered during the pandemic? Are you drinking more or less or has it not changed at all? Are you concerned about your level of alcohol consumption?