Early in the pandemic, adults in the United States were drinking more alcohol to cope with the stress of it all, researchers found.
More than a year later, those early spikes in alcohol remained consistent through 2020 — and in some cases, soared even higher. That’s according to a new study by RTI International, a nonprofit research institution in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park. It’s a continuation of a study RTI conducted last year as the country shut down to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The first study found parents, women, unemployed people, people of color and adults with mental health concerns increased their alcohol consumption between February and April, The News & Observer reported at the time. The new RTI study released last week found the increases continued through November.
