US Alcohol Use Drops After Pandemic Spike, Except For Ages 50-64

Alcohol consumption among U.S. adults declined for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, though rates remain above pre-pandemic levels, according to a study published Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine and reported by NBC News.

What did the study find about overall drinking rates?

Researchers analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health Interview Survey across four survey years — 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024 — and found drinking rates fell by roughly 1% overall between 2022 and 2024. Senior study author Dr. Brian P. Lee, a liver transplant physician at Keck Medicine of USC, called the dip modest but welcome after alcohol use spiked during the pandemic.

Which age groups drove the decline?

The decrease was concentrated in younger adults. Gen Z respondents reported the largest overall drop in drinking from 2022 to 2024, more than 5%, while millennials reported the steepest decline in heavy drinking specifically, down 17% over the same period. Even so, both generations still drank at rates slightly higher than in 2018, the study found.

Why is heavy drinking rising in people 50 to 64?

The study's most concerning trend, Lee said, involves adults ages 50 to 64, where heavy drinking has climbed steadily since 2018. Roughly 2% more people in that age group reported heavy drinking in 2024 compared with 2022, a rate that has increased by more than one-third since 2018.

"This 30% increase, that's about a million people drinking heavily in that age group alone," Lee told NBC News.

What did researchers report about differences by gender?

Men reported a larger overall decline in drinking than women from 2022 to 2024 — 2.4% versus 1.1% — but women showed a bigger drop in heavy drinking specifically, 9% compared with 7.7% for men. The survey defined heavy drinking as five or more drinks in a day or 15 or more per week for men, and four or more in a day or eight or more per week for women.

What health risks does the study link to alcohol use?

The researchers noted that drinking raises the risk of high blood pressure, stroke and digestive problems, and that alcohol-related liver disease is now the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States. Alcohol-linked cancer deaths have doubled over the past three decades, according to the study, though the source material did not specify a sample size for the survey population.

What should readers watch for next?

• Whether the decline among Gen Z and millennials continues in future CDC survey cycles or reverses, as it did briefly after the pandemic
• Additional data on why heavy drinking is climbing among adults ages 50 to 64
• Follow-up research separating the roles of gender, income and region in driving the diverging trends
• Any updated federal dietary guidance on alcohol consumption limits

The study relied on self-reported survey data, a common limitation in alcohol research, and did not identify a specific cause for the age-based divergence. Lee's team plans to continue tracking NHIS data in future survey cycles, according to NBC News's reporting.

Artiglio is A coming-soon iPhone chief of staff for briefings and drafts. Not on the App Store yet.