Beverage- and Context-Specific Alcohol Consumption During COVID-19 in the United States: The Role of Alcohol To-Go and Delivery Purchases

Objective: Alcohol delivery and to-go sales may contribute to changes in drinking patterns, including where and what people drink. This study tested whether home delivery and to-go alcohol purchases were associated with context-and beverage-specific consumption volumes during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic after adjusting for pre-pandemic consumption volumes. Method: Data from a pre -pandemic panel were compared to a during-pandemic panel of the National Alcohol Survey (n = 1,150 adult drinkers, 52.7% female). Outcomes were past-year alcohol consumption volumes in standard drinks (over-all, by beverage type, and by location). Independent variables included past-year alcohol delivery and to-go purchases (separately). Covariates comprised baseline beverage-or context-specific volume, demographics, COVID-19 impacts, and drinking motivations. Negative binomial regression tested associations between alcohol purchases and change in overall, beverage-, and context-specific consumption. Results: On aver-age, respondents who had alcohol delivered (vs. not) reported consuming larger volumes overall (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.58, 95% CI [1.07, 2.32], p = .02), of wine (IRR = 2.90, 95% CI [1.50, 5.63], p < .04), of spirits (IRR = 1.59, 95% CI [1.03, 2.44], p = .04), and at home (IRR = 1.59, 95% CI [1.10, 2.31], p = .01). People who bought alcohol to go (vs. not) reported larger volumes of wine (IRR = 1.41, 95% CI [1.02, 1.96], p = .04), at home (IRR = 1.60, 95% CI [1.10, 2.32], p = .01), and in bars (IRR = 4.55, 95% CI [2.55, 8.11], p < .001). Finally, people who had alcohol delivered reported drinking smaller volumes in bars (IRR = 0.49, 95% CI [0.24, 0.98], p = .04).Conclusions: During the first year of the pandemic, adults who had alcohol delivered or bought it to go reported larger volumes for several locations and beverage types. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 84, 842-851, 2023)