Adults already at risk of harm from heavy drinking bought significantly more alcohol during Covid-19 lockdowns with households in the North buying most, according to a report.
Those in the highest group purchased around 38 units per week – the equivalent of almost a litre of 40% ABV vodka or four bottles of 12% ABV wine per person.
The study by academics from Newcastle University, published today in international scientific journal PLOS ONE, could help to explain why 2020 saw the biggest jump in alcohol-related deaths in the UK in the last two decades.
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The latest Office for National Statistics data reveals there were 8,974 registered deaths from alcohol-specific causes registered in the UK in 2020 - an 18.6% increase compared with 2019 and the highest year-on-year rise in 20 years.
The Newcastle University academics, working with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria, examined Kantar shopping data from 80,000 households between 2015 and 2020, which included around 5 million purchases of alcohol, to map-out buying habits over time.
They found that Britain’s heaviest drinkers - those in the top fifth of households that would consistently purchase the most alcohol - bought around 17 times more from shops and supermarkets than the bottom fifth during the lockdown period between March and July 2020.
The study also found that households in the North of England - including the North East - increased their purchases more than in any other part of Britain, with the suggestion that this is probably because the North has more socially disadvantaged, heavier-purchasing households.
The analysis also showed that the increase in purchasing was generally less pronounced in Scotland and Wales compared to England, which could be down to the Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) policy currently in place in both Scotland and Wales.
This has already been shown to reduce supermarket and store purchases of alcohol, particularly amongst some of the heaviest-drinking households.
Lead author Professor Peter Anderson from Newcastle University, said: “Our analysis has highlighted that the heaviest drinkers and those living in some of the most deprived communities in the UK have increased their household alcohol purchases significantly during Covid-19 lockdown periods, with undoubted consequences for both physical and mental health - and in many thousands of cases sadly leading to death.
“This suggests that a focus on policies to reduce high levels of drinking are even more important in extraordinary times, such as those we’ve seen since March 2020 - where a complex range of factors can lead to higher and potentially dangerous levels of longer-term drinking.
“It’s also interesting to see that the increase in purchases were much less-pronounced in Scotland and Wales, which could be down to the minimum unit pricing policy in these devolved areas – a policy that has been proven to reduce alcohol purchases amongst the heaviest drinkers.”
Report co-author Professor Eileen Kaner, Professor of Public Health and Primary Care Research at Newcastle University and Director of the NIHR ARC North East and North Cumbria, said: “Our research paints a worrying picture, where those already at risk of health harms from higher levels of drinking appear to have increased their drinking even more during lockdown.
"This comes with potentially serious consequences for individual health outcomes as well as having significant impacts on health services including primary care, mental health services, addiction support services, acute care and more.
“Covid-19 has undoubtedly had an impact on drinking habits within the UK. As we continue to live in uncertain times whilst moving towards recovery from Covid-19, it’s even more important that we focus on alcohol harm prevention strategies, including those that limit very low pricing of alcohol.”
Health experts have reacted with alarm to the study. Sue Taylor, Head of Alcohol Policy for Balance, said: “This report highlights an urgent need for action - the UK was already at crisis point with alcohol long before Covid, but the pandemic saw a tipping point.
"Cheap alcohol together with the terrible anxieties of Covid created a “perfect storm” which resulted in millions more drinking at risky levels, problems for families and heavy use turning into dependency.
“There is strong support for more action from the Government to tackle alcohol harms in our communities. Alcohol is too cheap, too available and too heavily promoted. We need evidence-based action now before millions more families suffer, starting with a Minimum Unit Price to save more lives.”
