The cigarette smoking rate among young adults in the U.S. has fallen by more than 20 points in the past two decades. Young adults are now more likely to smoke marijuana or electronic cigarettes than tobacco cigarettes. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls. When not diving into the world of merry-making, he puts his digital nomad lifestyle to work travel-writing about hidden culinary gems in Canada for National Geographic and about the happiest place on earth for Inside Hook. He also has authored three books, been a restaurant general manager and lived in a tent for three years in Alaska.

Report on the topic

Among those ages 35 to 54, the shares who do these things have remained relatively stable over time. Among adults who don’t drink, the most common reason given is that they just don’t want to, the Gallup survey found. About a quarter of nondrinkers (24%) say in an open-ended question that they have no desire to drink or do not want to. Whilst the World Health Organization (WHO) and most national guidelines typically quantify one unit of alcohol as equal to 10 grams of pure alcohol, the metric used as a ‘standard measure’ can vary across countries.

What Is Americans’ Drink of Choice?

This topic page looks at the data on global patterns of alcohol consumption, patterns of drinking, beverage types, the prevalence of alcoholism, and consequences, including crime, mortality, and road incidents. Consumers are looking for a beverage made with natural ingredients and coloring for the overall beverage category. Readers familiar with survey reports and other scientific literature are accustomed to the presentation of significance tests, or confidence intervals, on any data comparisons or trends. However, because data presented in this report are based on total actual sales and/or shipments, AEDS does not provide measures of statistical significance. Nonetheless, it is important to note that these data are still only estimates and may be subject to reporting error and random fluctuation over time. Per-capita alcohol consumption peaked in the early 1980s at 3.28 gallons, or almost 700 drinks.

Drinking in the US hits 30-year high — Here’s how much the average American drinks

1. The No and low-alcoholic beverage categories continue to grow in terms of sales and consumer interest.
2. In 2023, vodka accounted for 27% of total spirits volume, and flavored vodkas accounted for 21% of all vodkas sold.
3. Discover the impact alcohol has on children living with a parent or caregiver with alcohol use disorder.
4. Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations.

The net positive change for Red Blends was 22% for those under 40 years of age and 36% for those aged 40 and older. The net positive change for Sauvignon Blanc was 6% for women and 2% for men. When segmented by age range, the net positive change for those under 40 years was 14% compared to 2% for those aged 40 and older. Get a brief on the top business stories of the week, plus CEO interviews, market updates, tech and money news that matters to you. In fact, there are many serious side effects of excessive drinking, including liver cancer, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. While Americans’ cigarette use is in steep decline, future changes in their use of marijuana and alcohol are uncertain.

This interactive chart shows the average share of household expenditure that is spent on alcohol. We also find correlates in drinking patterns when we look at groupings of income, education or work status. Although those in lower income or educational status groups often drink less overall, they are more likely to have lower-frequency, higher-intensity drinking patterns. Overall, these groups drink less, but a higher percentage will drink heavily when they do. As we see, following prohibition, levels of alcohol consumption returned to similar levels as in the pre-prohibition period. At the end of this topic page, you will find additional resources and guidance if you, or someone you know, needs support in dealing with alcohol dependency.

More than 88,000 Americans die each year as a result of excessive drinking, a figure higher than the opioid-related deaths seen in a current drug overdose epidemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drinking by pregnant women can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or birth defects. And health officials say alcohol is a factor in as many as one-third of serious falls among the elderly.

NielsenIQ reports that the “claim to watch” for beer/flavored malt beverages/cider is “carb-free,” for wine it is “calorie conscious,” and “no added sugar” for spirits. But when I say I have a couple of drinks probably three nights a week, some people might think that to be quite a lot, while others would just shrug, considering that to be pretty normal. I also have to take into account that my drinking habits fluctuate depending on other things going on in my life. For instance, I started dating my boyfriend almost a year ago, and much of the time we spent together was over drinks. Now that a lot of our time consists of nights spent in one of our respective apartments, we both consume less alcohol (which sometimes takes a concerted effort on both of our parts — we are both somewhat social enablers who love beer) and more television, and spend less money.

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One factor contributing to an increased interest in flavored whiskeys has to do with, “in general” they are “going to skew a bit younger,” with some brands noticing an increase in consumers from aged 21 to their mid-30s being “drawn” to the product compared to more mature consumers. Statista reported the expected average revenue per capita for beverages in 2023 and 2025, with an anticipated $429 being spent on beer, $315 on spirits, and $231 on wine in 2025. When asked if “they would be highly likely to switch to a more sustainable brand” if their favorite alcohol brand “was not using sustainable practices,” 34% of Gen X, 50% of Millennials, and 32% of Gen Z responded that they would do so. More recent data indicates that “63% of drinkers are concerned and active about sustainability/ sustainable products.” While 66% of beer sales were attributed to “large, non-craft domestic” companies in 2021, imports accounted for 21% and craft beer at famous people with fetal alcohol syndrome 13%. The beer category (excluding hard seltzers and flavored alcohol beverages) is “expected to decrease by volume through 2025;” however, craft beer volumes are “expected to increase.”