Nation Americans are using alcohol to cope with pandemic stress: Nearly 1 in 5 report ‘heavy drinking’ September 22, 2021September 22, 2021 Grace Hauck, USA TODAY Comments Off on Americans are using alcohol to cope with pandemic stress: Nearly 1 in 5 report ‘heavy drinking’ More than 18 months into the pandemic, about 17% of respondents reported "heavy drinking" in the past 30 days, a new survey finds.