No Cheers as Americans’ Drinking Habits Remain at Record Low

U.S. adults surveyed by the analytics firm in July showed unchanged tastes and habits with no sign of a rise in alcohol consumption says Lydia Saad, Gallup’s director of U.S. social research.

“We saw a significant decline in people’s use of alcohol last year, but whether that was a one-time reaction or a trend, we had to wait and see,” Saad says. “This year’s result tells us that whatever is happening out there is a sustained change. Drinking has gone down across all age groups.”

Alcohol’s health risks could be prompting Americans to drink less and with more caution, the poll results suggest.

A little more than half of Americans surveyed this year said that alcohol is “bad for health,” compared to the less than 30 percent of people who said that a decade ago; and 86 percent of people polled said they had heard of recent studies about the long-term health effects of alcohol — a seven percent increase from 2024.

Drinking alcohol has been linked to several forms of cancer, as well as higher risks of liver and heart disease, among other health effects as American’s now look to going to the gym rather than meet a few friends at a local bar to discuss the state of the world.

“The decline in alcohol use coincides with a sharp increase in concern about the health risks of drinking,” Saad says.

As overall drinking has declined, the percentage of Americans who say they sometimes drink too much has also fallen with sobriety being embraced more and more.

Alcohol consumption at home and in public bars has long been a part of American culture, but for how much longer? Diane Keaton is seen here sitting in a bar crowded with men in a still from the film, ‘Looking For Mr. Goodbar,’ directed by Richard Brooks, 1977. (Paramount Pictures/Courtesy of Getty)

Gallup notes as overall drinking has declined, the percentage of Americans who say they sometimes drink too much has also fallen, reaching a new low of 13 percent.

Before 2000, more than 20 percent of Americans routinely reported over-drinking, including a record-high 35 percent in 1989.

As more and more Americans eschew alcohol, other forms of relaxation are growing.

Recent federal data shows upwards of 21 million Americans use marijuana on a daily or near-daily basis, driven by changing legal landscapes and shifting public perception of safety.

Use among adults aged 35 to 50 has increased, with daily rates climbing past 8.5 percent,  as more than 60 million American adults report using cannabis products annually.

The full Gallup report on American drinking habits can be found here

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