US drinking rate hits new low amid rising health concerns, poll finds

Many Americans are rethinking their relationship to alcohol, amid rising health concerns.

According to a new Gallup survey, only 54% of adults in the United States report that they drink alcoholic beverages, the lowest number recorded in the past three decades.

Even moderate drinking now gets a bad reputation, with a record high 53% of American adults now saying it is bad for their health, up from 28% in 2015.

“This shift is being driven by younger adults, who are most likely to believe that drinking in moderation carries health risks. But over the past few years, we've also seen an uptick in older adults who hold this belief", said Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux, the polling editor at the Associated Press.

About two-thirds of 18 to 34-year-olds believe moderate drinking is unhealthy, according to the poll, while about half of Americans age 55 or older adhere to this belief.

After years of many in the US believing that moderate drinking was harmless, or even beneficial, worries about alcohol consumption are taking hold.

The idea that moderate drinking could have some benefits came from imperfect studies that largely didn’t include younger people and couldn’t prove cause and effect.

Now the scientific consensus has shifted, and several countries recently lowered their alcohol consumption recommendations.

Earlier this year, the outgoing US surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, recommended a label on bottles of beer, wine and liquor that would clearly outline the link between alcohol consumption and cancer.

“Now healthcare professionals are pointing to the overwhelming evidence showing links between alcohol consumption and negative health outcomes. And increasingly, Americans seem to be taking that advice to heart", said Thomson-DeVeaux.

Even among Americans who do drink, consumption habits are changing. Only 24% of drinkers say they had a drink in the past 24 hours, a record low according to Gallup.

On the other hand, 40% of drinkers say it has been more than a week since they last consumed alcohol, the highest percentage since 2000.

The US federal government is expected to release new dietary guidelines later this year, including on alcohol.