While self-care and lowering anxieties are of utmost importance as we cope with a global pandemic, while contending with related safety measures, it’s important to be reminded that not all coping tools are created equal. A recent study, for example, raises concerns about increased alcohol consumption during this pandemic, as more cases of alcohol-related liver diseases and hospitalizations have been reported over the past year.

Keck Hospital of the University of Southern California saw an increase of 30 percent in 2020 compared with 2019. According to a report from Kaiser Health, specialists at hospitals affiliated with the University of Michigan, Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Mount Sinai Health System in New York City reported that rates of admissions for alcohol-related liver disease have increased up to 50 percent since March 2020.

“There’s been a tremendous influx,” said Dr. Haripriya Maddur, a hepatologist at Northwestern Medicine. Many of her patients “were doing just fine” before the pandemic, having avoided relapse for years. But subject to the stress of the ongoing pandemic, “all of the sudden, [they] were in the hospital again.”

Factors that result from the pandemic, specifically isolation, unemployment, and hopelessness, are believed to be associated with the explosion of hospitalizations and cases of liver disease.

Even before the pandemic, alcohol-related liver disease was a growing problem in the United States, contributing to approximately 20 to 25 percent cases of liver cancer. Complications from alcohol-related liver diseases usually occur after years of heavy drinking.

These institutions have also reported that the age of patients getting hospitalized for alcohol-related liver conditions has been trending down, especially among those 40 years old and below. Pandemic-related factors greatly impacting young adults may include difficulties in getting entry-level jobs, as well as issues in entering the housing market and starting a family.

Notably, the pandemic has been disporportnately affecting women—not only in the jobs market, but also healthwise, in cases of alcohol-related liver disease as well. “[The] stress of the pandemic has, in some ways, particularly targeted women,” noted Dr. Jessica Mellinger, a hepatologist at the University of Michigan, in a report from Kaiser Health. Lower wages, less job stability, and the burdens of parenting tend to fall more heavily on women’s shoulders, she said.

“If you have all of these additional stressors, with all of your forms of support gone—and all you have left is the bottle—that’s what you’ll resort to,” added Mellinger. “But a woman who drinks like a man gets sicker faster.”

Women in general metabolize alcohol at slower rates than men. In fact, the CDC’s Dietary Guidelines for Alcohol recommends that women have one drink or fewer per day, compared with two or fewer for men.

Nationwide, alcohol consumption has risen sharply during pandemic shutdown. A national study conducted by RAND corporation found rates of alcohol consumption in spring 2020 were up 14 percent compared with the same period in 2019. Heavy drinking episodes—defined as four or more drinks within a couple of hours—have increased in women by 41 pecent. Unemployment, isolation, anxiety, lack of daily structure, and boredom all have increased the risk of heightened alcohol use.

If you or someone you know needs some help with alcohol consumption, check out the resources below. Aside from opening that bottle of bourbon, there are numerous productive ways to ‘take the edge off’ — from meditation to exercise to catching up with friends — as we look to care for ourselves and our loved ones through this stressful pandemic. And if you must indulge in, remember: moderation, in your approach to drinking, is key — especially in these fragile times. And as we start seeing a light at the end of this pandemic tunnel with increased vaccination, let’s continue practicing the necessary COVID-19 precautions while keeping our overall health—including mental health and liver health—in mind. And whenever you feel safe enough, per your doctor’s advice, to do so, ADRLF encourages you to: Screen. Vaccinate. Don’t Hesitate!

• Alcoholics Anonymous: www.aa.org
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: www.samhsa.gov