Study Finds Seasonal, Regional Factors Influence Alcohol Consumption

A new study from Millennium Health suggests that alcohol use is influenced by multiple factors, including time of year and geography, and the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled a “small, but significant” increase in consumption.

Findings were published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Millennium Health researchers analyzed results of urine screenings submitted by healthcare professionals as part of routine care for 2 million unique adult patients across all 50 states. Samples were collected between 2013 and 2020.

Among the study’s findings:

• Alcohol positivity rates showed strong seasonal changes, peaking during the summer and hitting a low point during the winter.
• The New England region recorded the highest rate of alcohol-positive screenings, while the East South Central region showed the lowest probability of being positive. Also: Changes in rates of alcohol-positive screenings varied by region. The Mountain, Mid-Atlantic, West North Central, and West South Central divisions each showed higher positivity in 2020 compared to 2016, for example.
• The highest predicted positivity rate for alcohol was found in male patients between the ages of 45 and 64 who were screened in a primary care setting.
• Alcohol positivity rates peaked in 2016 and have held mostly steady from 2017 on. A small, but statistically significant increase was observed between the COVID-19 emergency declared on March 13, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020, when the study period concluded.

“Knowing these characteristics and monitoring for alcohol use can help identify those at increased risk, provide an opportunity to intervene, and help improve clinical decision-making,” study lead author Kelly Olson, PhD, Millennium Health director of clinical affairs, said in a news release.