Prior research has demonstrated that some groups are more vulnerable to stress-related increases in alcohol misuse. For example, stressful events are associated with the recurrence of AUD [16], which underscores concern about the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on alcohol use among individuals with a history of AUD. One recent study found that approximately half of adults in recovery from a substance use disorder reported cravings during a pandemic isolation period and that their craving was prompted by loneliness, lack of support, and financial stress, among other factors [17]. In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, access to mutual-help groups and specialized AUD treatments may have diminished [18]. This has played out in some early data on individuals with a lifetime history of AUD, which showed that ~20% of participants reported increases in their alcohol use since the pandemic began, with a significant portion of individuals reporting decreased access to substance use disorder treatment. However, other data have shown that 88.9% of women and 88.8% of men in a national survey of adults with ‘resolved’ AUD (i.e., no longer meet criteria for AUD
