One in five Australians is buying more booze than usual during the coronavirus pandemic and many are worried about their alcohol intake.
Seventy per cent of people are drinking more than normal and one third are consuming alcohol every day, new statistics reveal.
Health advocates are alarmed by the spike in drinking habits, confirmed by a YouGov poll of more than 1000 Australian adults on Thursday.
People reported drinking to cope with stress and doing so on their own.
They also admitted drinking more than planned and starting earlier in the day.
The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education wants to stamp out problem drinking by restricting marketing and delivery services.
"We need to get ahead of this before it's too late and this involves action from governments across the country," chief executive Caterina Giorgio said.
Not only are people concerned about their own drinking habits, they are also worried about other people in their household.
"Increased drinking by people worried about COVID-19 might be good news for alcohol industry executives, but it's certainly worrying news for our community's health," Ms Giorgi said.
Australian Associated Press
