Alcohol Consumption in the U.S. Is the Lowest It’s Ever Been
News

Americans Are Drinking Less — Why That’s a Good Thing

U.S. adults seem to be absorbing the message that no amount of alcohol use is safe. Here’s why that matters.
Americans Are Drinking Less — Why That’s a Good Thing
Everyday Health
The U.S. drinking rate is at an all-time low: Only 54 percent of U.S. adults say they drink, the lowest percentage in the nearly 90 years that Gallup has tracked alcohol use, according to a new poll.

By comparison, in the late 1970s and ’80s, about 70 percent of Americans said they drank alcohol. The rate hovered closer to 65 percent in the early 2000s, before dipping more sharply in recent years.

The drop coincides with a rise in the proportion of people who say that even moderate alcohol consumption is bad for your health, a belief held by more than half of Americans — also a first.

The decrease is somewhat surprising, mostly because of the uptick in drinking during the pandemic, particularly among women, says Stephen Holt, MD, an internal medicine doctor and addiction medicine specialist at Yale Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.

“While I expected that increase would have resolved a bit and returned to the rates seen in 2019, it appears as though the levels are even less than that,” says Dr. Holt.

Changes in Drinking Habits Suggest a Real Cultural Shift

The survey asked more than 1,000 Americans 18 and older about their drinking habits. Key findings among people who do drink:

  • 24 percent say they had a drink in the past 24 hours, a record low.
  • 40 percent reported that more than a week had passed since their last drink.
  • The average number of drinks consumed over the past week was just under three, the lowest number recorded in nearly 30 years.

Experts say this suggests a real cultural shift — and that if drinking is truly dropping in the United States and continues on that trajectory, Americans’ health will likely improve.

“This is encouraging news, and we would hope to see reductions in all alcohol-related health issues across the board,” says Susan Stoner, PhD, a research associate at the Additions, Drug, and Alcohol Institute at the University of Washington in Seattle.

More People Say That Even Moderate Alcohol Use Is Bad for Health

The Gallup poll found that the majority of people (53 percent) see drinking in moderation, defined as one or two drinks a day, as bad for one’s health. Only 6 percent think it’s good for you, and 37 percent believe it makes no difference.

Young adults in particular hold this view: Two-thirds of adults 18 to 34 have a negative view on alcohol, compared with half of adults 35 to 54, and even less for adults 55 and older.

That’s good news, because it shows that the public health message that alcohol does have health risks is getting through to people, says Randy Brown, MD, PhD, a professor in the department of family medicine and an addiction medicine specialist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison.

“While we used to think that moderate alcohol consumption conferred health benefits, we now know that is not the case,” says Dr. Brown. “There is no level of alcohol use that is beneficial from a physical health standpoint.”

For example, research has linked even one drink a day to a 5 to 15 percent relative risk of breast cancer compared with the risk in women who don’t drink.

The shift in public opinion comes as leading health groups toughen their advice.

The American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) recently updated their blood pressure guidelines to recommend avoiding alcohol completely rather than the previous recommendation of “moderation,” defined as up to two drinks per day for men and one for women.

Sidney Smith, MD, a cardiologist at the UNC School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, who worked on the guidelines, says many of his patients are on board to quit drinking once they understand alcohol’s role as a potential cause of high blood pressure.

“I strongly agree with the new recommendation on alcohol use,” he says.

Among a Minority of Adults, Heavy Drinking Is Still High — and That’s a Problem

Even though there could be health benefits in many areas if more people stop drinking, the Gallup survey doesn’t fully capture the nuance of Americans’ current drinking habits, says Brown.

“While abstinence is becoming more common, particularly among young people, heavy drinking and high-intensity drinking have been rising among those who drink, particularly among women,” he says.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines heavy drinking as:

  • For men, consuming five or more drinks on any day, or 15 drinks or more per week
  • For women, consuming four or more drinks on any day, or eight or more drinks per week

High-intensity drinking is:

  • For men, 10 or more drinks in a row
  • For women, 8 or more drinks in a row

“Women are at greater risk for adverse health effects at these levels of drinking,” says Brown. Over the last 20 years, we have actually seen increases in health-related alcohol effects, particularly liver disease among women.

“Chronic alcohol use is associated with different types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, liver disease, digestive problems, and a weakened immune system,” says Dr. Stoner.

But the increase in abstinence among younger people may lower the percentages of Americans drinking heavily, because those drinking patterns are somewhat more common in young people, says Brown.

Do You Need to Cut Out Alcohol Altogether?

Should generally healthy people who don’t smoke or have any chronic conditions stop drinking, even in moderation?

“If I had a patient who fit that description and they were drinking in moderation, I wouldn’t necessarily tell them to quit drinking,” says Holt.

“I would make sure they were aware there is some evidence that any amount of drinking may have some associated harm. If they enjoy alcohol and they are drinking it safely, then I have no problem with them continuing to do that,” he says.

What Are People Doing Instead of Drinking Alcohol?

The rise of alcohol-free alternatives is happening in tandem with the drop in alcohol use, says Holt.

“When I was in college in the late ‘90s, the only nonalcoholic beer was O’Doul’s, full stop. Now you can find nonalcoholic stouts, IPAs, and even alcohol-free spirits like tequila or gin. The variety has really expanded in the past 10 years,” he says.

Younger adults seem to be turning more to cannabis. Cannabis (marijuana) legalization offers another alternative. Some surveys have shown younger adults and people between 35 and 50 years old are using cannabis at higher levels.

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. U.S. Drinking Rate at New Low as Alcohol Concerns Surge. Gallup. August 13, 2025.
  2. Ayyala-Somayajula D et al. Trends in Alcohol Use After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Cross-Sectional Study. Annals of Internal Medicine. November 12, 2024.
  3. Alcohol’s Effect on Health. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. February 2025.
  4. Top 10 Things to Know About the New AHA/ACC High Blood Pressure Guideline. American Heart Association. August 14, 2025.
  5. Cannabis and Hallucinogen Use Among Adults Remained at Historic Highs in 2023. National Institute on Drug Abuse. August 29, 2024.

Tom Gavin

Fact-Checker

Tom Gavin joined Everyday Health as copy chief in 2022 after a lengthy stint as a freelance copy editor. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology from College of the Holy Cross.

Prior to working for Everyday Health, he wrote, edited, copyedited, and fact-checked for books, magazines, and digital content covering a range of topics, including women's health, lifestyle, recipes, restaurant reviews, travel, and more. His clients have included Frommer's, Time-Life, and Google, among others.

He lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he likes to spend his time making music, fixing too-old electronics, and having fun with his family and the dog who has taken up residence in their home.

Becky Upham, MA

Becky Upham

Author

Becky Upham has worked throughout the health and wellness world for over 25 years. She's been a race director, a team recruiter for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a salesperson for a major pharmaceutical company, a blogger for Moogfest, a communications manager for Mission Health, a fitness instructor, and a health coach.

Upham majored in English at the University of North Carolina and has a master's in English writing from Hollins University.

Upham enjoys teaching cycling classes, running, reading fiction, and making playlists.