‘I’ve gone from one extreme to the other’: critical junctures in relationships with alcohol during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Background With the United Kingdom experiencing a series of ‘lockdowns’ in 2020 and 2021 that disrupted leisure and socializing, the COVID-19 pandemic presents a 'critical juncture’ which has facilitated alterations to – and reflections on – drinking practices. Methods Drawing on online semi-structured interviews and focus groups conducted between the first and second UK lockdowns, we highlight three stages in the development and maintenance of UK drinking practices using critical junctures as a theoretical framework. Discussion Firstly, we consider the antecedent conditions – such as dominant drinking cultures - that shape pre-pandemic drinking practices and form the backdrop against which changes to behaviors are made. Secondly, we explore the 'cleavage’ or initial moment of disruption which gives rise to shifts in drinking practices and consider how this critical juncture stabilizes and is reproduced. Finally, we examine the possible ‘legacy’ of the critical juncture. Conclusions The paper highlights implications for healthcare/policy including the importance of considering wider social context when seeking behavioral change. We also stress that alternative explanations – such as declining drinking rates and the growth of Temporary Abstinence Initiatives – must not be ignored when exploring people’s shifting drinking behaviors, even during periods of unprecedented social change.