How has the severe-acute-respiratory-syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic affected alcohol consumption a national survey for the assessment of alcohol drinking habits in a sample of italian citizens during lockdown

Introduction: In the last weeks of 2019 a new coronavirus, named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), caused the onset of a new world epidemic. To face it, many countries imposed to the population different kind of home confinement aiming to reduce the rate of contagion and Italy has been one of the first western countries seriously involved in this pandemic in the first months of 2020 starting a severe lockdown from 11th March of the same year. The SARS-CoV-2 lockdown provoked deep changes in lifestyles, promoting in many people the onset of psychological symptoms generally associated with drug and alcohol abuse. Aims & Methods: The aim of this study was to assess the variation of alcohol drinking habits in a sample of Italian citizens during the SARS-CoV-2 lockdown and to identify the psychosocial factors surrounding it in order to assess the specific subset of population that could need psychosocial support during these events. An online anonymous questionnaire was created and submitted from 9th April 2020 to 28th April 2020. Questions were related to personal psychosocial details and alcohol drinking habits during the lockdown, including Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT C) questions. Results: On a total of 1234 surveys, the increase of both anxiety and fear was largely detected (63% and 61% respectively). The 18% increased alcohol consumption during the lockdown and showing a significant correlation with anxiety and fear experienced (both p<0.001). The relative risk for 7 to 9 and more than 10 drinks per day consumption were directly linked to these symptoms (p<0.001). The most involved categories of participants showing this harmful association were self-employed workers and people who live alone, subject aged 30-50 with high level of instruction or students and not occupied people in the age range 18-19 (all p<0.001). Additionally, the subset of the study population that showed low alcohol consumption before the lockdown has demonstrated the worsening of alcohol assumption during the quarantine (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Several psychosocial factors are involved in determining the increase of alcohol consumption during the lockdown. In the light of the heavy impact that this event could have on drinking habits, the medical and political authorities should monitor, also using telemedicine services, that part of the population exposed to higher risk for harmful consumption in the view of possible other lockdowns in some national contexts.