Americans are skipping cocktails with historical lows in number who drink

Americans are skipping cocktails with historical lows in number who drink More Americans are becoming aware of ties between drinking alcohol and health harms - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments The number of Americans who say they drink alcohol is at a record low for the second consecutive year. Just 54 percent of more than 1,200 adults included in a new survey from Gallup reported drinking at all, matching the same percentage recorded last year. The number of Americans who reported drinking too much sometimes is also at a record low of 13 percent. “Before 2000, more than 20 percent of Americans routinely reported overdrinking, including a record-high 35 percent in 1989,” Gallup noted. Concerns about the impacts of alcohol on people’s health are behind the reduction seen across all age groups, according to the pollsters. More than half of U.S. adults now believe drinking one or two alcoholic beverages a day is bad for their health. Drinking alcohol leaves people at a higher risk of developing cancer and chronic liver disease, raising the risk of premature death. “Public awareness of research about drinking and health has also increased,” Gallup said. “86 percent of Americans say they have heard at least something about recent studies concerning the long-term health effects of drinking, up from 79 percent in 2024.” For the first time, the survey, conducted in July, included the use of nonalcoholic alternatives. They found that 17 percent of respondents had consumed nonalcoholic beer, wine or spirits instead of an alcoholic drink at some point in the past year. “Americans’ alcohol use has changed significantly in recent years as concern about its health effects has grown. Fewer Americans are drinking, and those who do appear to be cutting back, including by turning to nonalcoholic drinks,” said Gallup. The results come just months after the Trump administration changed its guidance on alcohol consumption, overturning decades of precedent. This year’s dietary guidelines instruct people to “consume less alcohol for better overall health” instead of including clear limits or highlighting the links to health harms. The number of annual alcohol deaths due to cancer has doubled in recent years in the U.S., researchers found last year. Cases of alcohol-related liver disease have also doubled over the last 20 years. Some 95,000 alcohol-related deaths are reported in the U.S. each year, according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments