Effects of COVID-19 lockdowns on alcohol consumption, hangovers and smoking among young adults (n = 140) in Germany: an on-line study

Objective
This study investigated the impact of 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdowns on alcohol consumption and smoking behavior among young adults from Germany.

Methods
An online survey was completed by N = 317 young adults living in Germany. Of these, 140 (44.2%) consumed alcohol and were included in the analysis. They reported on alcohol consumption, hangover frequency and severity, and smoking behavior across four time periods: (1) “BP” (the period before the COVID-19 pandemic), (2) “L1” (the first lockdown; March–May, 2020), (3), NL1 (the no lock-down period; summer 2020), and (4) L2 (the second lockdown, November 2020 to May 2021).

Results
During L1, a significant decrease was observed in weekly alcohol intake, the number of drinking days, and the number of days where more than eight alcoholic drinks were consumed. Whereas hangover frequency was significantly increased during L1, hangover severity was significantly reduced. During NL1, drinking behaviors returned to BP levels. During L2, the decrease in alcohol consumption was much smaller, and not significantly different from BP. However, compared to BP, during L2 hangover frequency was significantly increased and hangover severity was significantly reduced. With regards to smoking, no significant differences compared to BP were found.

Conclusions
During the COVID-19 lockdown periods in Germany, a significant decrease in alcohol consumption was observed among this group of young adults. Whereas hangover frequency was significantly increased during the lockdown periods, hangover severity was significantly reduced.