What Will Our Post-COVID Drinking Habits Be?

Coronavirus has impacted all our lives in ways that no one would have imagined possible this time last year and everyone has had to adapt to a new way of living and with pubs, bars and other venues being closed for most of the pandemic we have all had to change our drinking habits.

Remember what it was like before COVID-19? Where we could stop off at the local pub for a quick drink after work and catch up with the regulars before heading home. Those office work drinks after a successful week where the whole team get together to celebrate in a fancy bar in the city, the Saturday pub sessions where fans would gather to support their football team or groups of friends going to a restaurant for a bottomless brunch.

The pandemic has stuck a knife in and burst all those glorious occasions, so we had to find new occasions to have a drink for, zoom quiz night anyone? Apart from a brief reprieve in the summer - where restrictions enforced table seating, bookings were a must, and it was a max of 6 per table - we have been drinking at home for a long time now.

How many of you have set up a bar during this period? I’m sure all of us have a friend or family member who has built a bar or summer house in their back garden or renovated an area inside their house, so they have a place to drink away from the kids. Whether a bar has been built or not, the country has been drinking more, a survey from Public Health England stated that some 23% of adults noticed they were drinking more alcohol since the first lockdown and many used this to help cope with the added stress and boredom the virus created.

Sales of supermarket alcohol has soared by 50%, as reported in The Independent and with the cost of supermarket alcohol noticeably cheaper than pubs and bars and with a period of economic turmoil likely to follow, how many of us will continue to drink at home as opposed to going out?

At the time of writing the Vaccine is getting rolled out so there is now hope that we are in the final stretch and by the Spring/Summer restrictions will be eased to such an extent that we can venture out to all our favourite places so at least we have the option.

Pubs and bars are going to need the support of people in their local area as they have been hit extremely hard and for those that make it through this period there may still be bleak times ahead. There is no doubt that once restrictions are lifted there will be an initial excitement and providing it is safe to do so we will rush out to have a tipple of our favourite draught beer, wine, or gin. However, once the novelty wears off and due this substantial period that we have been drinking at home it is possible that drinking at home will become the norm and going out diminishes.

There’s hope that the celebratory atmosphere post COVID-19 will entice people back to the pubs and bars but it’s also possible that the increased home drinking over the past year may be the new normal.