Has the Pandemic Fundamentally Changed the Way Women Think About Drinking?
Do you want another round? my friend shouted over the blasting music at a crowded outdoor bar last weekend. Sure! I screamed back, only to immediately chase her down to change my order from tequila to water. The thing is, I didnt actually want another drink. After a year of infrequent drinking at home and no hangovers as a result, my relationship to alcohol had changed and I wasnt ready to jump back into my old habits quite so easily. Like the many women I spoke to for this article, nearly a year and a half at home made me reassess my alcohol consumption, which had been largely on autopilot since I drank my first Smirnoff Ice in high school. Ive always been a social drinker, mimicking the ingestion level of those around me. In college, that meant binge-drinking on the weekends, afterwards it meant catching up with friends over a few rounds a couple of times a week. Ive never been one to drink alone at home, and now that my hangovers reflect my age I rarely see the point. In recent years, chronic migraine forced me to adjust my drinking habits significantly, but it took the pandemic pause for me to really cut back and see the subsequent reduction in my frequency of attacks. Its only been in recent weeks, post-vaccination, that my boundaries have begun wavering as social temptations creep back. Womens drinking-rates have undeniably risen during the pandemicaccording to a recent study, between spring of 2019 and spring of 2020, women...increased their heavy drinking days by 41% compared to before the pandemic (Harvard Business Review)but for those who consume the majority of our alcohol in social situations, prolonged time at home during COVID-19 lockdowns may have pushed habits in the opposite direction. Sarah Smith, a 23-year-old operations manager in New York City, barely drank while stuck at home last year, but says shes now drinking four or more days a week. During lockdowns, I had more energy, was healthier, lost weight, and found time for new hobbies. Drinking costs so much money, and feels unhealthy like Im regressing and not prioritizing or making time for things I found and enjoyed during COVID.  Trying to strike a balance as social activities return can be challenging. "If you have been trying to cut back on alcohol, or have enjoyed not drinking, there is a pressure when all of your social activities involve drinking, confirmed Dr. Jessi Gold, a psychiatrist at Washington University in St. Louis. A lot of easy social activities, even ones that are seen as self-care, involve alcohol...With returning to work, there will be a lot of happy hours to catch up and suggestions to just meet up for a drink.