Study Finds Moms Are Drinking More, Thanks To Kids And COVID

As COVID restrictions linger from 2020 and little Tony's bedtime drifts ever closer to 6 p.m., a study looking at the potential link between the pandemic and increased alcohol intake across the U.S. has been released — with certain demographics outperforming others.

According to the data gathered by RTI International for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, trends in patterns of drinking have increased since the start of the COVID-19 lockdowns. They did not just spike in the middle months of 2020, but continued in an ascending trajectory well into 2021.

An excerpt from the report reads: "The proportion of people exceeding drinking guidelines increased 27% between February and April 2020, per the first wave of the survey, and that increase jumped to 39% between February and November 2020, according to the follow-up survey. Binge drinking saw an increase of 26% between February and April 2020, with a further increase to 30% between February and November 2020."

Among the noted demographics, moms with children under the age of 5 had the sharpest increase in drinking patterns, upping their intake by a whopping 323 percent.

During lockdowns and public health mandates on classrooms, parents were forced to work around babysitting and assisting with their children's education, and the increased activity — mostly bestowed on mothers — proved to be a headache only remedied by the taste of pinot noir.

The report adds, “Women are more likely to use alcohol to cope with stress, depression, and anxiety, and all these are a natural response to the COVID-19 pandemic."

Findings from the study also call out an increase in curbside alcohol orders as a potential link for the bump in Happy Hours, which may explain why the ABCs soon became code for "Applebee's, Buffalo Wild Wings and Chili's" among suburbs.

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