US Alcohol Use Holds at Record-Low 54% as 51% Say Moderate Drinking Is Unhealthy
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 20
US Alcohol Use Holds at Record-Low 54% as 51% Say Moderate Drinking Is Unhealthy
3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 20
Summary
54% of U.S. adults said they drink alcohol in Gallup’s July survey, matching last year’s record low and extending the long-term decline.
51% now say one or two drinks a day is bad for health, up from 27% in 2001, while 86% said they had heard at least something about recent studies on alcohol’s long-term effects.
13% said they sometimes drink too much, another record low, down from more than 20% before 2000 and far below the 35% peak Gallup recorded in 1989.
17% reported choosing nonalcoholic beer, wine or spirits instead of alcohol in the past year, a measure Gallup tracked for the first time.
The health shift comes as research continues to link heavier drinking to disease, including a study this year that found 14 or more drinks a week raised colorectal cancer risk 25% and rectal cancer risk 95%.