Two-thirds of men have been drinking to cope with loneliness, anxiety and boredom during the COVID-19 outbreak.
A new study from DrinkAware finds that 66% of men were ‘drinking to cope’ in April – up 10% on the same time two years ago.
Meanwhile, more than one-fifth of men said they had been binge drinking more than four times in the past 30 days – compared to only 10% of women.
The report also notes that 40% of men have been drinking at home alone during the outbreak – compared to 32% of women.
On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, DrinkAware CEO Sheena Horgan said the outbreak has thrown up a “stark divide” in terms of drinking habits in Ireland.
“There are a disproportionate number of men versus women drinking in an unhealthy way,” she said.
“What that translates into is men are drinking more frequently and they are drinking more in terms of volume.”
She said it is not just the younger generations that admit they are drinking too much
“When we look at the age category, I think a lot of the assumptions we tend to make when we talk about things like binge drinking; the media and the general public quite often assume that it is the younger generation who are doing it,” she said.
“When we look at our data, we can see it is not just the younger generation, it has actually creeped up into the older age categories.
“Particularly with the drinking to cope, that age group would be 25 to 34-year-olds but also 35 to 49-year-olds during COVID-19.
“So, we can see that the older age groups are under serious stress and pressure as indeed we all are to a certain degree at this time.”
The survey found that 57% of men and 48% of women in Ireland are drinking on a weekly basis.
Meanwhile, 27% of men agreed that they would like to drink less, compared to 22% of women.
The figures have been released to coincide with the start of Men’s Health Week. Further information on healthier coping strategies, with advice and supports for cutting down on alcohol, is available here.
