Fewer Americans are drinking alcohol than ever before, according to new Gallup data, and experts say growing awareness of alcohol’s health risks is a major reason why.
“For quite some time, there’s been this heavy focus on [the effects of] heavy drinking or binge drinking,” Sarah Dermody, a psychology professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, told NPR.
This year, just 54% of U.S. adults reported that they drink alcohol, the lowest since Gallup began tracking the habit in 1939. The previous low, recorded in 1958, was only one percentage point higher.
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Notably, older research once suggested moderate drinking, like a daily glass of red wine, could have health benefits, but researchers found the earlier “benefits” were linked to correlation, not causation.
“For example, people who don’t drink could have negative health outcomes because of a preexisting condition, while those who do drink may not have other health problems,” Dermody said. So that means any amount of alcohol can increase the risk of cancer, depression, and anxiety.
Alcohol use drops among American women and Gen Z
Only 50% of Americans ages 18 to 34 said they drink, compared to 56% of those 35 and older. And 66% of young people believe even moderate drinking is harmful, compared to about half of older adults.
“They grew up with that safe-level messaging, whereas a lot of us did not,” Sara McMullin, a psychology professor at Webster University, told NPR.
McMullin notes that not drinking is more socially acceptable now, with alcohol-free challenges like Dry January and Sober October. “Alcohol can be perceived as something that’s more of a luxury and not a necessity,” she explained.
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The Gallup survey also found Women’s drinking dropped 11 percentage points since 2023, compared to a 5-point drop for men. Wine remains more popular with women (44%) than men (14%), while men overwhelmingly favour beer (52% versus 23% for women).
However, Gallup reported no evidence that Americans are replacing alcohol with marijuana.
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