Drinking finally slows after pandemic spike
A new study indicates that alcohol consumption in the U.S. has slightly declined for the first time since the pandemic, though rates remain higher than 2018 levels. While younger generations are drinking less, heavy drinking is significantly increasing among adults aged 50 to 64.
Why it matters
The shift in drinking patterns among older adults highlights a growing public health concern regarding long-term health risks like stroke and high blood pressure.
Americans are drinking less for the first time since the pandemic, but alcohol use remains higher than it was before 2020, according to a study published Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The decline in drinking rates, though modest at roughly 1%, is welcome news after heavy alcohol use spiked sharply during the pandemic, said senior study author Dr. Brian P. Lee, a liver transplant doctor at Keck Medicine of USC in Los Angeles. However, Lee said, “these trends haven’t been even across the board.” While both heavy and occasional drinking declined among Gen Z and millennials from 2022 to 2024, drinking increased in people ages 50 to 64, according to the study, which used data from the National Health Interview Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lee and his team looked at survey results for four years: 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in