Alcohol and Drug Consumption among Drivers before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Study

• Published in: European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education (EJIHPE) Vol. 13; no. 5; pp. 897 - 905
• Main Authors: Marrone, Maricla, Pititto, Fortunato, Stellacci, Alessandra, Nicolì, Simona, Buongiorno, Luigi, De Luca, Benedetta Pia, Aventaggiato, Lucia, Strisciullo, Giuseppe, Solarino, Biagio, Benevento, Marcello
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 19.05.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Age; Alcohol; Alcohol Education; cannabis; Chromatography; Cocaine; Communicable Diseases; Comparative analysis; Coronaviruses; COVID; COVID-19; Cultural Activities; Drinking; driver; drug; Drugs; Emergency medical care; Energy consumption; Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; Laboratories; lockdown; Marijuana; Mental Disorders; mental health; Narcotics; Observational studies; Pandemics; Persuasive Discourse; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Quarantine; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Statistical Analysis; Stress; Test Results; Toxicology; Young adults; Italy; COVID-19; alcohol; driver; cocaine; mental health; cannabis; lockdown; drug
• ISSN: 2254-9625; 2174-8144; 2254-9625
• DOI: 10.3390/ejihpe13050068

Restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic might have changed recreational habits. In this study, the results of toxicological tests for alcohol and drugs in blood were compared among drivers stopped at roadside checks in the periods before (1 January 2018 to 8 March 2020) and after the lockdown measures (9 March 2020 to 31 December 2021). A total of 123 (20.7%) subjects had a blood alcohol level above the legal limit for driving of 0.5 g/l, 21 (3.9%) subjects tested positive for cocaine, and 29 (5.4%) subjects positive for cannabis. In the COVID-19 period, the mean blood alcohol level was significantly higher than in the previous period. Cannabis use, which was more frequent among younger subjects, was statistically associated with cocaine use. There has also been a quantitative increase in alcohol levels in the population with values above the legal limits, indicative of greater use of alcohol in the population predisposed to its intake.