Americans are drinking less for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, but drinking levels are still higher than before the pandemic, according to a new study published this week.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 114,000 U.S. adults from the National Health Interview Survey and found that any alcohol use declined by almost 2 percent, and heavy drinking fell by more than 8 percent from 2022 to 2024.
In the same period, Gen Z adults saw the largest decline in any alcohol consumption of around 5 percent, according to the study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Millennials saw a 17 percent drop in heavy drinking.
Not all Americans are following the trend. Drinking among those ages 50-64 is still higher than before the pandemic; the group’s overall alcohol consumption is up by almost 4 percent and heavy drinking increased by 36 percent between 2018 and 2024.
Brian Lee, a hepatologist and liver transplant specialist with the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, said that was especially concerning because that age group faces a higher risk of many alcohol-associated diseases like cirrhosis and alcohol-related cancers.
“We’re seeing the increases in exactly the age group that we’re most worried about in terms of health and organ damage,” said Lee, the study’s principal investigator.
Studies previously found alcohol consumption and deaths surged during the pandemic as Americans grappled with stress and isolation.
“It looks like for younger people, this became a temporary habit, and it kind of bounced back to normal,” Lee said. “But for older people, the question is why that habit has continued.”
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