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We all might’ve had an inkling that the booze bans during the worst part of South Africa’s COVID-19 lockdowns didn’t really stop folks from drinking.

Okes who had Zoom drinking parties, I am looking at you.

There’s no doubting that the booze ban helped keep major alcohol-related injuries to a minimum so that hospital beds could stay open for COVID-19 patients.

Back at home, those with a will still found a way to drink.

In fact, a study by the University of Cape Town has revealed that lockdowns and boozing hard went hand in hand.

The research, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health and conducted among 798 Facebook participants (between July and November 2020), found that binge drinkers, or episodic drinkers, drank more than they usually would have, even while major restrictions limited the sales of booze.

The majority of these heavy drinkers admitted that they bought alcohol illegally during the booze bans.

The reasons for this increase in drinking was largely down to stress, boredom, and the need to relax.

TimesLIVE has more:

The research found the odds of being classified as a binge drinker increased for those younger than 65, males, those who drink more frequently than monthly and people who bought alcohol illegally during the lockdown. This also included those who struggled reducing alcohol intake during the lockdown.

…Nearly half of the 798 participants were classified as heavy episodic drinkers, with more than 60% of males and 43% of females falling in this category.

UCT associate professor Nadine Harker, who is also a specialist scientist at the SA Medical Research (MRC’s) alcohol, tobacco and other drug research unit, said that the study found that “heavy episodic drinkers were prone to consuming more alcohol during restrictions, while moderate drinkers drank the same as usual or less”.

Harker also found that as lockdown restrictions increased, so too did stress and anxiety, hence the increased intake:

“During decreased restrictions, the reasons heavy episodic drinkers gave for drinking more alcohol that were significantly more frequent than for moderate drinkers were ‘wanting to relax/switch off’, ‘feeling stressed out’, and ‘celebrating when Covid-19 restrictions were lifted/relaxed’. Interestingly, we see that ‘being bored’ moved from third to fifth most frequently mentioned,” she said.

Meanwhile, moderate drinkers reported drinking less alcohol during the lockdown phases because it was difficult to buy booze and more expensive.

According to Dr Petal Petersen-Williams, also a specialist scientist at the MRC, this research is proof that limiting alcohol sales or imposing alcohol sales restrictions does not do much to stop heavy drinkers from drinking.

Ja, hey, where there’s a will there’s a way, ‘n boer maak ‘n plan, and all that…

[sources:timeslive&uctnews]