The United States is experiencing a broad decline in alcohol consumption, with an August Gallup poll indicating that only 54% of adults currently drink—a significant drop from 67% in 2010. However, a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine reveals that this temperance trend is not uniform across all age groups. While younger generations are drinking less, Americans aged 50 to 64 are consuming more alcohol than before.
Lead author Dr. Brian Lee, a hepatologist at Keck Medicine of USC, noted that while it is encouraging to see overall alcohol use decline for the first time since the pandemic began, certain demographics continue to show concerning patterns. The research team analyzed data from over 114,000 U.S. adults who participated in the National Health Interview Survey between 2018 and 2024. The survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tracks drinking habits, defining heavy drinking as five or more drinks daily (or 16 weekly) for men, and four or more daily (or eight weekly) for women.
Data from 2022 to 2024 shows a 2% decrease in overall drinking and an 8% reduction in heavy drinking nationally. These declines were driven largely by Millennials and Generation Z, born between 1981 and 2012. Gen Z saw total drinking rates fall by nearly 6%, while Millennials decreased by about 2%. Heavy drinking dropped by approximately 20% for both cohorts.
In contrast, the 50-to-64 age demographic moved in the opposite direction. During the same six-year period, overall drinking in this group increased by 4%, while heavy drinking surged by 36%. Researchers suggest that heightened public awareness of alcohol’s health risks may be driving the decline among younger people. According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, alcohol is linked to 62 different diseases, including liver disease, cardiovascular issues, and various cancers.
Dr. Lee pointed out that younger adults may have been more responsive to public health messaging during the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted alcohol-related harms in this demographic. Conversely, older adults often lack this same level of awareness. “This age group faces some of the greatest risks of harm from alcohol, including cirrhosis and alcohol-related cancers,” Lee stated.
Other factors may also explain the generational divide. Lee proposed that legalization of cannabis could be leading some younger adults to substitute marijuana for alcohol. Additionally, economic constraints may play a role, as younger people generally have less disposable income than older adults. Finally, shifting social norms appear to be reinforcing sobriety among younger groups; as fewer peers drink, societal pressure to consume alcohol diminishes.
Despite the reasons behind these divergent trends, experts emphasize that reduced alcohol intake benefits all age groups. As Lee concluded, while young people may have embraced sobriety first, older Americans would similarly benefit from following their lead.
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