Alcohol consumption also increased.
The effects of the pandemic, including quarantine, isolation, and the risk of infection have made a lot of people pick up the bottle in an attempt to relieve stress levels. In fact, some people used to believe that alcohol can help prevent the COVID-19 infection, which is definitely not true.
As the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA) mentioned in a statement in May 2020, “Drinking alcohol does not prevent or treat coronavirus infection.” While we use alcohol-based hand sanitizer to keep the virus at bay, and drink a little glass of wine here and there to ease some stress, increased alcohol consumption will only impact your immune system by making it weaker.
In fact, a study that analyzed the change in alcohol consumption between 2019 and 2020 in more than 1,540 participants 30 or older has found that overall alcohol consumptions increased by 10 percent since the pandemic emerged in our country. The same study showed that women experienced a 39 percent increase in health issues resulted from alcohol consumption.
These numbers are very concerning, as they can lead to alcohol abuse and addiction.
Read also: 13 Mind-Blowing Facts About the Human Body.
