Fewer Americans are pouring themselves a drink these days — and a growing number believe that even a glass or two can hurt your health. That’s according to a new Gallup poll released Wednesday, which found that just 54% of U.S. adults say they drink alcohol. That’s the lowest level Gallup has recorded in nearly 90 years of tracking.
Even more striking: 53% of adults now say moderate drinking is bad for your health — a huge jump from just 28% in 2015. And it’s not just teetotalers sounding the alarm; this skepticism is coming from all age groups, though young adults are leading the shift.
From “Good for the Heart” to “Not Worth the Risk”
For years, moderate drinking — think one or two drinks a day — was seen as harmless or even beneficial, thanks to early studies that suggested a link to heart health. But newer research has poked holes in that belief, pointing instead to alcohol’s role in a long list of negative outcomes, including cancer.
The scientific consensus has changed so much that some countries have recently tightened their alcohol guidelines, and earlier this year, then–U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy even suggested adding cancer-warning labels to bottles of beer, wine, and liquor.
Murthy cited sobering statistics: alcohol is linked to about 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths every year in the U.S., yet most Americans don’t know it’s a risk factor.
Younger Generations Are Changing the Culture
The Gallup data shows younger Americans have been quickest to embrace the new science. About two-thirds of adults aged 18–34 now say moderate drinking is harmful — up from 4 in 10 in 2015. Older Americans are still less likely to share that view, but their skepticism is growing fast too.
Part of the generational divide may simply be timing. “Older folks may be a little more hardened in terms of the whiplash that they get with recommendations,” Gallup’s Lydia Saad explained. Younger adults, meanwhile, grew up in a time when alcohol was already under heavier scrutiny.
Government Guidelines May Soon Change
The federal government is currently reviewing its dietary guidelines, including alcohol recommendations, and an update is expected later this year. Right now, the advice is clear: men should limit themselves to two drinks a day, and women to one.
But with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promising “big changes,” those limits could shift — though there’s no word yet on what exactly might change.
Drinking Rates Hit Decade Lows
While health concerns may not be the only factor, they’re certainly coinciding with a steady drop in alcohol use — especially among young adults and women. In fact, Gallup says today’s 54% drinking rate matches the lowest point in its records, dating back to 1958.
Interestingly, the decline doesn’t seem to be driven by a switch to other substances like marijuana, which is now legal in about half the states. Gallup notes that cannabis use has been fairly steady over the past four years, even as drinking has fallen.
And it’s not just about whether people drink — it’s how often. Only about one-quarter of drinkers said they’d had alcohol in the past 24 hours, the lowest rate Gallup has ever recorded. Four in ten said it had been more than a week since their last drink.
The Bottom Line
The culture around alcohol in America is changing — and fast. Younger generations are drinking less, health warnings are getting louder, and the old idea that “a drink a day is good for you” is quickly losing ground. With new federal guidelines on the horizon, the conversation about how much is “too much” might soon look very different.
Frank
Image Credit: The Central Birmingham Business Improvement District
Image Credit: The Central Birmingham Business Improvement District
Image Credit: The Central Birmingham Business Improvement District
