behind closed doors alcohol and the covid-19 pandemic
by Erin Deneke, Ph.D., Senior Director of Research, and Olapeju Simoyan, M.D., MPH, BDS, FAAFP, FASAM, Executive Director of Research, Caron Treatment Centers
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OVID-19 has reshaped the United States over the last 2 years. To date the United States has over 43,289,203 cases of confirmed COVID-19 illness and 694,701 deaths (Center for Disease Control [CDC]). Pennsylvania alone has 1,429,940 cases and experienced 29,400 deaths (John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, 2021). The ever-evolving nature of this virus has led to a constantly shifting approach in the management of this disease. While effective vaccines have been developed and are available for free, only 58% of Pennsylvanians are currently fully vaccinated (John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, 2021). Public health measures have included social distancing, temporary closure of non-essential businesses, stay-at-home orders, mask mandates, and companies implementing vaccine mandates for employees. While the economy is in the process of recovering from the devastating economic blow that COVID dealt, the societal and emotional toll of the pandemic is still being felt. A study conducted by Verdery, Smith-Greenaway, Margolis and Daw (2020) explored kinship networks in the United States and found that one coronavirus death impacts nine surviving family members. This suggests that approximately 6.25 million individuals (to date) have been personally impacted by the death of a loved one due to the pandemic. This does not include impacts on social circles. The impact on mental health was not unexpected. Previous research has demonstrated the impacts of disaster and epidemics on individuals (Bonanno & Gupta, 2012; Boscarino, Galea, Ahern, Resnick,
& Vlahov 2002; Tracy, Norris, Galea, 2011; Vlahov, Galea, Ahern, Rudenstine, Resnick, Kilpatrick & Crum, 2006). The isolation, job losses, and economic stressors due to the pandemic impacted the mental health and well-being of Americans on a large scale. Treatment options were limited for individuals with already pre-existing conditions, both physical and mental, and for individuals with new conditions. Symptoms of anxiety increased from 8.1% in the second quarter of 2019 to 25.5% in June of 2020 and depressive disorders increased from 6.5% to 24.3% (Czeisler, Lane, Petrosky, et. al., 2020). According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll (Panchal, Kamal, Orgera, Cox, & Garfield, 2020), 53% of respondents reported that their mental health has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Specifically, they reported difficulty sleeping (36%) or eating (32%), and an increase in substance use (including alcohol) (12%). While a great deal of attention has focused on the increase in overdose deaths due to prescription opioid and heroin use over the pandemic, little attention has focused on a more hidden problem, alcohol. So why use the term “hidden”? After all, news programs were showing people with shopping carts full of wine and liquor at the state stores the day before they were closed due to the pandemic and Zoom Happy Hours started appearing between friends and co-workers. According to the Nielsen Company, national sales of alcohol increased 54% during the week ending March 21, 2020, compared to 2019. Early March 2020, Governor Tom Wolf closed Continued on page 26
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