More Americans turning to drugs and alcohol as coronavirus stress rises, survey shows
With coronavirus-related stress on the rise, so is alcohol and drug use, according to a national survey.
Findings by The Recovery Village, a Florida-based network of addiction treatment facilities, reflect an “expected” increase in substance use during the pandemic, with Americans reporting a 55% rise in alcohol consumption in the last month. When it came to illicit drugs, 36% of Americans reported increased use of marijuana and prescription opioids, among others.
“Experts have already started to voice concerns on the secondary effects America is yet to see from COVID-19,” researchers wrote, among them being “increased rates of addiction afterward due to the stress of isolation, boredom, decreased access to recovery resources and unemployment.”
The findings, published May 11, are the result of a nationwide survey asking 1,000 Americans aged 18 and older about their use of drugs and alcohol in the last month, according to The Recovery Village. The goal? To help addiction and behavioral health experts gain a better understanding of how the COVID-19 crisis is impacting substance use.
Their survey found that alcohol was the preferred substance of choice among respondents, with 88% percent reporting drinking in the past month. Marijuana was the second-most common at 37%, followed by prescription opioids at 15%, findings show.
Other drugs used by the coronavirus-weary public include benzodiazepines, such as anti-anxiety medication Xanax; Adderall and similar prescription stimulants; and cocaine, according to the survey.
The increase in alcohol consumption was 67% in states hardest hit by the coronavirus, including New York and New Jersey. Results from The Recovery Village survey show that nearly 30 percent of respondents from these affected areas said their drinking had increased “significantly” over the past month.
Since the start of the pandemic, there’s also been a surge in alcohol sales and deliveries, with 42% of Americans having a drink on the job as they work from home, McClatchy News previously reported, citing a report from Fishbowl.
With the increase in drinking has also come an increase in calls to addiction treatment centers, USA TODAY reported earlier this month.
“Using drugs or alcohol to cope with life circumstances, such as stress or boredom, can become a habit that leads to a substance use disorder,” according to The Recovery Village. “When individuals use drugs or alcohol in an attempt to self-medicate and cope with symptoms of a mental health disorder, they can develop a co-occurring substance use disorder.”
Amid the pandemic, the survey also found that many respondents used drugs or alcohol “for recreational reasons, to treat pain or because it was part of their daily routine, such as having a drink with dinner.”
The margin of error of the report was 3%, The Recovery Village told McClatchy News.
This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 10:21 AM.