Study: heavy drinking up 36% among Americans 50 to 64 as overall use falls

A study led by the University of Southern California's Keck Medicine found that heavy drinking among US adults aged 50 to 64 rose by more than 36% from 2018 to 2024. 1 2 Across all age groups, alcohol use fell by nearly 2% and heavy drinking by more than 8% from 2022 to 2024, though use stayed above pre-pandemic levels. 1 2 Gen Z adults drank more than 5% less, and millennials about 17% less, over 2022 to 2024. 2

The findings were published on Sept. 21 in Annals of Internal Medicine and rest on self-reported National Health Interview Survey data from 114,352 adults. 1 Men's overall drinking fell more than women's (2.4% vs 1.1%), while women's heavy drinking fell more (9% vs 7.7%). 2 Lead author Brian P. Lee said women's heavy drinking is still about 13% above its 2018 level and that women develop liver damage at lower drinking levels than men. 1

Lee noted that self-reporting tends to understate drinking, that the study cannot explain why drinking changed, and that he sees the recent decline as a promising turn rather than an established trend. 2 Dr. Chris Tuell of the University of Cincinnati, who was not involved in the study, suggested loneliness, grief, chronic pain and retirement may drive older adults' drinking. 1 2 Lee advised people over 50 who drink more than before 2020 to ask a doctor about liver health, saying evidence shows no level of alcohol to be safe. 1 2