Alcohol use and its associations with mental health across the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

Background While the COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions to social connections and lifestyles, many countries continued the sale of alcohol as an essential commodity. Evidence on change in alcohol use, and its association with mental health and wellbeing during the pandemic is, however, mixed and limited to initial periods of the pandemic. This study aimed to address these research gaps. Methods Data were drawn from the COVID-19 Risks Across the Lifespan (CORAL) Study, a three-wave longitudinal study conducted between May 2020 and April 2021. The present sample included 2,369 participants (age M = 38.81 ± 16.94 years, range = 11–100; 90% females) from the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia. Measures included pre-pandemic alcohol use and changes in consumption frequency, quantity, drinking behaviours (e.g., drinking earlier in the day), and motivations (e.g., drinking for enjoyment) during the pandemic. General perceived stress, COVID-19-related stress, loneliness, and symptoms of depression and anxiety were also assessed. Findings Drinking frequency and quantity remained stable across the first year of the pandemic; however, non-linear age associations were found. Young individuals aged between 11 to 20 years, and mid-aged individuals aged between 50 to 70 years, had the highest probability of increased alcohol use frequency and quantity. Drinking behaviours and motivations also remained largely stable, although age- and country-specific differences emerged, potentially reflecting policy differences such as alcohol access restrictions and lockdown measures. Finally, loneliness unidirectionally predicted subsequent alcohol use quantity. Conclusions These findings highlight the heterogeneous alcohol use patterns across age groups and countries during the pandemic, and underscore loneliness as an important public health issue with implications for alcohol misuse.