In years to come, sociologists, psychologists and others will have a field day in tracking the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This once-in-a-century disruptor of all of our lives has had so many ramifications that it is nearly impossible to catalog all of them.

Aside from the medical, social and economic dislocations that we and so many of our fellow Americans have experienced, there are sidebar stories that have emerged and will continue to do so once the big picture takes on historical perspective.

One of the conclusions that has emerged is that we have been doing a lot more drinking of alcohol than we did in pre-pandemic days.

The primary reasons are unemployment, stress enveloping front-line workers in critical businesses and industries, accessibility because of working from home, the challenges of juggling multiple tasks including children’s schooling at home, loss of loved ones to the pandemic and the loss of financial resources.

In their confinement, consumers have not only been drinking more, but they have been buying premium brands. As one friend told me, he was always a “generic” whiskey drinker, but when the pandemic settled in, and he was confined to his home much more frequently, he “splurged” on Jack Daniels.

According to a survey done by a food and spirits company locally, Tito’s handmade vodka has been the biggest seller of spirits since the pandemic’s start in March 2020 in the Lehigh Valley-Carbon-Monroe area.

SipSource, a tracking service for the wine and spirits distributing service, reports that the sale of premium wines has grown more than other categories. I have had some “happy hour” sessions with family members where we each came to the session with our favorite libation. (Mine, for the record, is a Manhattan up.)

Yes, even the lowly vermouth, a staple of the Manhattan and martini, has been embraced during these troubling times.

Industry observers explain that many of those who have not been adversely affected by the pandemic and its workplace restrictions have found that they have more disposable income.

When they don’t stop at their favorite hangout for happy hour, where drinks are far more expensive than at home, they can choose pricier brands and come out about the same financially, maybe even a little better. A bottle of wine bought at a state or grocery store will cost maybe half of what it would at a restaurant.

Nielsen, one of the country’s major market research organizations, said the sales of alcoholic beverages had increased more than 50% through the end of March. Liquor sales were up 75% compared to the same period in 2019. Wine sales were up 66%, and beer sales were up 42%. The firm also reported a big increase in online sales of 243%. You may remember that our state stores were closed for a few months in 2020 at the height of the pandemic.

Abusing alcohol, while never a sound coping strategy, is particularly discouraged by the World Health Organization during the current pandemic for obvious reasons.

Too much drinking can weaken a person’s immune system, and drinking to excess to cope with the implications of isolation can be harmful to a person’s mental and physical health.

Light to moderate alcohol consumption is considered acceptable for healthy adults, according to the American Medical Association; however, excessive alcohol consumption can lead to short- and long-term health effects. These can include injuries from incidents like car accidents, high blood pressure and liver disease.

“Alcohol can be consumed as a strategy to manage emotional stress,” according to Claire Nicogossian, a clinical psychologist, but the pandemic has created a collective grief and loss of safety and security with incredible uncertainty.”

In situations such as these, some tend to throw caution to the wind, become almost fatalistic, but they do so at their own peril.

Industry observers believe that as the restrictions loosen around the country in tandem with the growing number of people vaccinated, sales will gradually return to pre-pandemic levels, but for some, the damage will have already been done.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.