Alcohol Consumption Falls After Pandemic Surge, Study Finds
Alcohol consumption in the United States has finally begun to decline after reaching unusually high levels during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research. The decrease was relatively modest, but the latest data show an important shift in drinking behavior among American adults.
The change was not evenly distributed across the population. Younger adults, particularly members of Gen Z and millennials, reported meaningful reductions in both overall drinking and heavy drinking between 2022 and 2024.
At the same time, alcohol use among adults ages 50 to 64 moved in the opposite direction.
The findings, reported by NBC News and based on a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, offer a complicated picture of America’s post-pandemic relationship with alcohol. While the overall direction has improved, researchers say some groups continue to face significant risks.
The study examined data from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey for 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024. Researchers used the data to compare drinking patterns before the pandemic, during the pandemic and in the years following the initial COVID-19 disruption.
Alcohol Consumption Finally Begins to Decline
According to the findings reported by NBC News, overall alcohol consumption declined by roughly 1% between 2022 and 2024.
That may sound small, especially after the dramatic changes seen during the pandemic. However, researchers view the decline as notable because alcohol use had remained elevated after the initial COVID-19 surge.
Dr. Brian P. Lee, a hepatologist and liver transplant specialist at Keck Medicine of USC, led the research. He described the decline as encouraging while cautioning that it is too early to know whether it represents a lasting trend.
The researchers found that both general drinking and heavy drinking decreased during the 2022-to-2024 period. Nevertheless, overall rates remained above levels recorded in 2018, before the pandemic.
That distinction is important.
The latest findings do not mean Americans have simply returned to their pre-pandemic drinking habits. Instead, they suggest that the sharp increase associated with COVID-19 may finally be reversing, at least among some demographic groups.
Younger Adults Are Driving the Change in Alcohol Consumption
One of the clearest findings involves younger generations.
Gen Z adults recorded the largest decrease in drinking between 2022 and 2024, with alcohol use falling by more than 5%, according to the report.
Millennials also reduced their drinking. More notably, heavy drinking among millennials fell by approximately 17% during the same period.
The development continues a longer-term pattern in which younger Americans have shown less enthusiasm for alcohol than previous generations did at similar ages.
Research published before the latest study has also documented lower substance use among young adults during portions of the pandemic. One review found that alcohol and tobacco use initially dropped when COVID-19 restrictions began, although some substance use rebounded after about a year. The review also found that changes varied considerably depending on individuals’ previous substance use and access to alcohol.
This means the decline cannot necessarily be attributed to one factor.
Younger adults may be influenced by changing social habits, greater awareness of health risks, different attitudes toward drinking and the availability of nonalcoholic alternatives. The pandemic may also have disrupted traditional drinking environments at an important stage of life.
For Gen Z in particular, the years surrounding the transition into adulthood were dramatically different from those experienced by previous generations.
Millennials Also Show a Major Drop in Heavy Drinking
The decline in alcohol consumption among millennials is particularly significant when heavy drinking is considered.
According to the NBC News report, millennials experienced a 17% reduction in heavy drinking from 2022 to 2024. That is substantially larger than the overall decline in alcohol consumption across the adult population.
Heavy drinking is especially important because the health consequences of alcohol are strongly influenced by both the amount consumed and the frequency of consumption.
A person who drinks occasionally is not necessarily following the same pattern as someone who consumes large quantities regularly. Consequently, a reduction in heavy drinking can have a different public-health significance from a small change in the overall percentage of people who drink.
Earlier research also showed that pandemic drinking patterns varied substantially between demographic groups.
A longitudinal National Alcohol Survey follow-up found increases in alcohol use and alcohol use disorder among some populations, including women and adults ages 35 to 49, while some men and White respondents showed reductions in drinking or heavy drinking.
The broader research therefore suggests that there was never a single “pandemic drinking pattern” shared by all Americans.
Alcohol Consumption Is Rising Among Adults 50 to 64
The most concerning finding in the latest report involves middle-aged adults.
While younger Americans were cutting back, alcohol consumption among adults ages 50 to 64 increased.
Heavy drinking in this age group rose by about 2% from 2022 to 2024. More significantly, the study found that heavy drinking among people ages 50 to 64 had increased by more than one-third since 2018.
That creates a sharp contrast with the trends among Gen Z and millennials.
Researchers say the age group deserves particular attention because long-term alcohol exposure can accumulate over decades. Adults in their 50s and early 60s who drink heavily may have already experienced years of alcohol exposure before reaching an age when some alcohol-related diseases become more common.
Dr. Michael Siegel, a professor of public health and community medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, told NBC News that persistent heavy drinking in this age group is concerning because substantial alcohol consumption over time can have significant health consequences.
Why Age Matters for Alcohol-Related Health Risks
Alcohol does not affect every person in exactly the same way.
Age can influence vulnerability to alcohol-related complications. As people grow older, the body’s ability to process alcohol can change, while existing medical conditions and medications may also affect the consequences of drinking.
Alcohol-associated liver disease is one of the most serious long-term concerns.
The liver processes alcohol, and prolonged heavy drinking can contribute to liver inflammation, fibrosis and cirrhosis. Advanced liver disease can ultimately lead to liver failure and the need for transplantation.
Research led by Brian P. Lee has examined alcohol-associated liver disease and liver transplantation, including the growing burden of alcohol-related illness in the United States.
The concern becomes especially relevant when a rise in heavy drinking persists for years rather than months.
That is why researchers are paying close attention to adults in their 50s and 60s even as younger generations appear to be drinking less.
The Pandemic Created a Major Disruption
To understand the latest alcohol consumption figures, it is necessary to look back at the pandemic.
The arrival of COVID-19 created an unusual combination of social isolation, economic uncertainty, stress and reduced access to traditional activities.
For some people, alcohol became easier to obtain and consume at home. Bars and restaurants closed or operated under restrictions, while drinking moved increasingly into private spaces.
Studies conducted during the pandemic documented substantial changes in alcohol use.
A systematic review found that alcohol consumption changed in different directions across populations. Women in several countries were more likely than men to report increases in drinking, while some male populations were more likely to report reductions.
Another longitudinal study involving nearly 5,000 participants across six countries found that most respondents reported no change in alcohol consumption, while 12.5% reported drinking less and 5.1% reported drinking more. The researchers also identified age, gender, mental-health symptoms, previous drinking patterns and job loss as factors associated with changes in alcohol use.
In the United States specifically, later research found that alcohol consumption increased during the early pandemic period and that the increase was associated with factors including stress, family circumstances and mental-health challenges.
The latest decline therefore comes after several years of unusually unstable drinking patterns.
Men and Women Are Changing Their Drinking Differently
The new findings also reveal a gender difference.
Overall drinking declined more among men than women between 2022 and 2024. Men’s alcohol consumption fell by approximately 2.4%, compared with a 1.1% decrease among women.
However, the picture changes when researchers look specifically at heavy drinking.
Heavy drinking declined by approximately 9% among women and 7.7% among men during the same period.
These numbers demonstrate why a single measure of alcohol consumption can be misleading.
A person can drink less frequently without necessarily reducing the amount consumed during drinking occasions. Conversely, someone can maintain a similar drinking frequency while substantially reducing the quantity consumed.
Researchers therefore examine multiple measures to understand whether alcohol-related risk is actually changing.
Earlier pandemic research also showed that women experienced notable increases in drinking and alcohol-related problems during parts of the COVID-19 period.
Alcohol Consumption Was Already Rising Before COVID-19
Another important point is that the pandemic did not create the entire U.S. drinking trend.
According to the NBC News report, alcohol consumption had already been increasing since around 2000 after declining during the late 1980s and 1990s.
The pandemic then produced an especially sharp increase.
Researchers cited in the report said heavy alcohol use among Americans rose by about 20% in 2020 compared with 2018, while any alcohol use increased by about 4%.
That historical context makes the latest decline harder to interpret.
If alcohol consumption falls slightly after an extraordinary pandemic spike but remains above its pre-pandemic level, the country may be experiencing a partial correction rather than a complete reversal.
The trajectory will require additional years of data.
Health Awareness Could Be Changing Drinking Habits
One possible explanation for declining alcohol consumption among younger adults is greater awareness of alcohol’s health risks.
The changing perception of alcohol has become increasingly visible in recent years.
A 2025 Gallup survey found that only 54% of U.S. adults said they drink alcohol, the lowest level recorded in Gallup’s long-running tracking. The same survey found that 53% of adults considered moderate drinking harmful to health.
The shift is especially notable because alcohol was historically associated with socializing, celebrations and even perceived health benefits when consumed moderately.
Scientific understanding has become more cautious about those assumptions.
Alcohol is now recognized as a risk factor for several health conditions, including certain cancers. At the same time, researchers continue to examine how drinking patterns interact with cardiovascular disease, liver disease and other conditions.
That growing awareness may influence how younger adults view alcohol.
Gen Z’s Drinking Habits Could Shape the Future
The decline in alcohol consumption among Gen Z could have consequences beyond public health.
Alcohol has long been embedded in American nightlife, entertainment and social culture. If younger adults continue to drink less, businesses that depend heavily on alcohol sales could face changing consumer expectations.
The market has already seen growing interest in nonalcoholic beverages and alternatives designed for people who want the social experience of drinking without alcohol.
However, it would be premature to assume that Gen Z is becoming a completely alcohol-free generation.
Research shows that drinking patterns can change as people age, enter the workforce, form relationships and experience different social environments.
The latest study also shows that alcohol consumption among Gen Z remains somewhat higher than it was in 2018 despite the recent decline.
Therefore, the long-term direction remains uncertain.
The Post-Pandemic Alcohol Story Is Not the Same for Everyone
The biggest lesson from the latest data may be that there is no single post-pandemic drinking trend.
Gen Z is drinking less.
Millennials are reducing heavy drinking.
Men report a larger overall decline in drinking than women.
Women have recorded a larger percentage decline in heavy drinking.
Meanwhile, adults ages 50 to 64 are moving in the opposite direction, with heavy drinking continuing to rise.
These differences matter because public-health strategies based on national averages can overlook groups moving in the opposite direction.
A 1% overall decline may sound encouraging, but it does not erase the increases occurring within particular age groups.
What the Latest Alcohol Consumption Data Means
The new research provides a cautiously encouraging sign: America’s pandemic-era rise in alcohol consumption may finally be losing momentum.
However, the numbers do not indicate that the country has returned to its pre-pandemic drinking habits.
Alcohol consumption remains higher than it was in 2018, while adults ages 50 to 64 continue to show an increase in heavy drinking.
At the same time, younger Americans are changing the country’s drinking culture. Gen Z and millennials are cutting back, and the decline appears particularly strong when heavy drinking is measured.
The coming years will show whether those changes become permanent.
For now, researchers say the latest results represent an important shift but not a final conclusion. One period of declining alcohol consumption does not establish a long-term trend.
What is clear is that the pandemic changed drinking behavior in complicated ways, and those effects have not disappeared evenly across generations.
The emerging picture is therefore less about Americans simply drinking more or less and more about who is drinking, how often they drink and how their patterns are changing over time.
