People having an extra glass or two of alcohol each day to deal with the stress of isolation, working from home or home schooling could be setting themselves up to become problem drinkers, experts have warned.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
New data released this week shows one in five Australians have bought more alcohol than usual during the COVID-19 pandemic, and most are drinking more and have concerns about their alcohol use and the drinking of others at home.
Ballarat Community Health manager of alcohol and other drug services Suzanne Powell said changed drinking habits at home could go unnoticed until they became a problem.
"We are waiting to see what will happen at the end of this when restrictions are eased off and people go back to work and are not coping quite so well because they don't have the access to alcohol they had at home," Ms Powell said.
"We expect people will have longer term issues around this which may take the form of dependency, physical and mental health issues."
The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) commissioned national polling which found 20 per cent of Australians were buying more alcohol and 70 per cent were drinking more alcohol than normal. A third now drink daily and more than a quarter say they drink alcohol to cope with anxiety and stress.
FARE chief executive Caterina Giorgi said there was great concern about the harmful impacts of this increase in alcohol use. "Increased drinking by people worried about COVID-19 might be good news for alcohol industry executives, but it's certainly worrying news for our community's health," she said.
Ms Powell said people drinking more might not realise their tolerance was building and they needed an extra glass of wine to feel the same, or if they regularly had a drink with dinner but now poured themselves one at 4pm it could become habit.
Working from home could also reduce the accountability levels around drinking, Ms Powell warned.
"It's a slippery slope for some people and we are waiting for what will happen if people are not coping."
- Suzanne Powell
"Someone who might drink of an evening but might be put off from having one more because they have to go to work the next day and don't want to turn up with a hangover or unwell ... they might potentially drink that extra glass or two because they're not going in to work.
"It's a slippery slope for some people and we are waiting for what will happen if people are not coping."
She said people were still reaching out for help with alcohol and other substance abuse with referral numbers to the BCH service about the same as pre-COVID times.
The pandemic has also contributed to an increase in referrals to BCH's family violence and relationship counselling services as families spend more time together than ever before.
"Alcohol use doesn't cause family violence but it can increase the severity of it," she said.
Ms Powell also warned parents to be mindful of the example they set for their children.
"If mum or dad pours a glass of wine at 4pm because of the stress of working at home, home schooling or the million other things they're doing at once, it's not ideal role modelling for our kids."
Ms Powell and colleagues are working on a series of short videos around minimising harmful drinking during social distancing, which will be loaded on to social media in the coming weeks.
She recommended sticking to the national guidelines of no more than 10 standard drinks per week - but recognise the glass of alcohol you pour yourself at home is likely to be much more than one standard drink.
"Nobody wakes up one day and decides to become addicted to a substance; it happens over time," she said.
Have you signed up to The Courier's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.
