Changes in Alcohol Consumption among Users of an Internet Drug Forum during a COVID-19 Lockdown

Bernard Angerville (), Marc Moinas, Margaret P. Martinetti, Mickael Naassila and Alain Dervaux
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Bernard Angerville: Établissement Public de Santé Mentale Barthélémy Durand, 91150 Etampes, France
Marc Moinas: Service de Soins de Suite et de Réadaptation en Addictologie, Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal Montdidier Roye, 80700 Roye, France
Margaret P. Martinetti: Department of Psychology, the College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ 08618, USA
Mickael Naassila: Groupe de Recherche sur l’Alcool & les Pharmacodépendances (GRAP) INSERM U1247, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 80054 Amiens, France
Alain Dervaux: Établissement Public de Santé Mentale Barthélémy Durand, 91150 Etampes, France

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-12

Abstract: Background: The aim of the present study was to assess the frequency and clinical correlates of users of an Internet drug forum who changed their alcohol use during the March–May 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in France. Methods: An anonymous Internet-based cross-sectional survey during the COVID-19 lockdown was used via messages on a French Internet drug forum. Participants reported any increase in their alcohol consumption during the lockdown. Alcohol craving and depressive/anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Obsessive and Compulsive Drinking scale (OCDS) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS). Results: Of 1310 respondents, 974 (79% of 1270) participants reported alcohol use before lockdown. During the lockdown, 405 participants (41.6%; IC95 (38.5–44.7)) reported an increase. Odds of an increase in alcohol consumption was higher for those with HADS scores higher than 7 (aOR: 2.19; p = 0.00002), OCDS scores greater than 7 (aOR: 3.50; p < 0.001), and daily psychostimulant use (aOR: 1.85; p = 0.002). Conclusions: Users of an Internet drug forum who reported high levels of depressive symptoms, high levels of alcohol craving, and the use of psychostimulants were more likely to increase alcohol consumption during a COVID-19 lockdown.

Keywords: alcohol; COVID-19; internet forums; depression; craving (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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