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I guess almost everyone is someone who, at the start of the coronavirus crisis, posted on Facebook or Instagram a grainy text screenshot that said drinking strong alcohol kills the virus in our stomachs, just like using disinfectant to hands with high alcohol content kills it on the skin. As the World Health Organization quickly pointed out, this is not true. Although it is a welcome fantasy for some, drinking alcohol does not prevent or protect against coronavirus.
In fact, public health experts have warned that excessive and / or frequent consumption weakens the immune system, making it easier to get sick at a time when it is critical not to. Meanwhile, alcohol sales enjoyed a 55 percent increase in late March, as many Americans tried to quell anxiety and boredom at orders to stay home.
Now, some states have even welcomed their citizens to bars as part of the country’s plan to reopen the economy. But some states (such as California, Florida, Texas, and Washington) reversed their plans when coronavirus cases arose, particularly in younger people. Other states, such as New Jersey and New York, have postponed their plans to reopen interior dining spaces indefinitely.
Understandably, many of us are searching for our preferred coping mechanisms right now, but here is what you need to know about how drinking can affect your risk level for coronavirus.
Does drinking alcohol mean I am more likely to get COVID-19?
We don’t know yet, but that’s not necessarily a cause for celebration. “There is no direct research that I am aware of related to alcohol and COVID-19,” says Gregory A. Poland, an infectious disease expert and professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic. “But the absence of investigation does not mean the absence of damage.”
What experts do Knowing is how excessive use of alcohol affects the immune system more broadly, and from that, what it might be reasonable to suppose about excessive use of alcohol and the coronavirus, which, although new, is not completely different from other respiratory infections that to have been well researched
How does alcohol affect the immune system?
Critically, there is a difference between alcohol consumption and alcohol. wronguse, although the line between them can be a bit hazy. “There is really good evidence that short-term alcohol abuse, excessive alcohol consumption, can suppress optimal immune function, suppress the ability to defend against respiratory infection in the short term,” says Kathy Jung, director of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. division of metabolism and health effects. Excessive alcohol consumption is defined as four or more drinks for a woman within a two-hour period, and five or more drinks for men within a two-hour period, says Jung.
In the long term, the effects of alcohol abuse are even more damaging and include an increased risk of respiratory infection and even acute respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS, a condition seen in many of the most serious cases of COVID-19.
“With a respiratory infection in people who have been drinking for decades, they are more likely to need mechanical ventilation,” says Jung. “They are more likely to spend more time in the ICU, and they are more likely to die.”
What happens if I drink regularly or daily, but don’t drink excessively?
This is complicated for several reasons, one is that people greatly underestimate how much they drink. “To minimize potential risks, the United States’ dietary guidelines say that up to one serving of alcohol a day is fine for women if they are not pregnant and of legal age,” says Jung. “Up to two drinks a day for men is within the safe limit.” Beyond that, Jung says, we entered risky territory.
What we define as “a drink” is also important here, and again it is a measure that many of us underestimate. “A drink is a 12-ounce beer with 5 percent alcohol, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of spirits,” says Jung. “People are drinking much bigger glasses of wine than that.” (You can see what five ounces of wine look like here.) And even one glass, consumed daily, increases the risk of breast cancer by 7-10 percent.
While consuming two drinks per night may not be “excessive drinking,” that amount increases our risk of getting sick, Poland says. “I think people who are drinking more than a glass of wine are actually increasing their risk of serious illness,” she says. “I think we can’t exactly quantify it until it’s too much.”
How do I know if I am drinking too much right now?
Beyond the effects that alcohol has on our health, it is also important to consider how it could affect our behavior. “The more you drink, the more likely you are to drink,” says Poland. Drinking more excessively could make us less responsible about hand washing or wearing masks, or it could normalize a habit that we find difficult to break as orders to stay home are raised.
“Alcohol is just one of those things people often turn to for coping, and it can help in the short term,” says Aaron White, senior scientific adviser to the NIAAA director. “But it’s not sustainable, because every time you go back, you get a little less profit, and you pay a little more, because of tolerance and dependency, and you may end up relying on alcohol.” For some people, this could create a behavior problem that is difficult to shake off.
“What people should pay attention to if they are concerned about their relationship with alcohol are the reasons they drink,” says White. “Just acknowledge that that may not be your primary coping strategy, because this will continue for a time.”
“These are not hard and fast rules, where if you have two glasses of wine, you are a bad person,” he says. People are struggling right now, and looking for ways to cope is not a bad thing. But it is important not to make alcohol (or any substance) from yourself only coping mechanism, says White.
This publication has been updated.
