Hospital survey shows pandemic brought on rise in drinking 

Some 41% surveyed subjectively believe that they are drinking more since March 2020, with half identifying boredom and a third reporting loneliness as the primary motivating factors behind this.

Four out of 10 people surveyed while being treated at a hospital emergency department said they were drinking more alcohol than at the start of the pandemic.

Boredom and loneliness were cited as the two main reasons – a finding researchers said was consistent across the different social groups. The small-scale anonymous survey was conducted by medical doctors at Beaumont Hospital, north Dublin, in December 2020.