WASHINGTON, D.C. — Young adults in the U.S. have become progressively less likely to use alcohol over the past two decades, with the percentages of 18- to 34-year-olds saying they ever drink, that they drank in the past week and that they sometimes drink more than they should all lower today. At the same time, drinking on all three metrics has trended up among older Americans while holding fairly steady among middle-aged adults.
These findings come from an analysis of Gallup trends on Americans’ self-reports of their alcohol drinking habits. To allow for reliable analysis of the trends by age, the data are reviewed in three three-year time periods: 2001-2003, 2011-2013 and 2021-2023.
Young Adults Now Vie With Elders for Lowest Drinking Rate
Gallup’s long-term measure of alcohol consumption asks U.S. adults whether they “ever have occasion to use alcoholic beverages.” While the national average has been steady in the low 60% range for over 40 years, the age trends reviewed for this report show that the rate has declined 10 percentage points over the past two decades among younger adults, aged 18 to 34, […]
The data of the article is of interest, but it only narrowly addresses the greater context. As the article states: “Marijuana: Although less evident in the data than the generational shift, young adults’ increased use of marijuana in recent years could be a factor in their declining interest in alcohol.
Marijuana use has almost doubled among adults aged 18 to 34 since Gallup first measured whether Americans smoke it in 2013, rising 11 points to 25% in 2021-2023. However, this isn’t unique to young adults, as marijuana usage has increased just as much over the same period — up 13 points from 4% to 17% — among middle-aged adults.
Still, it’s possible young marijuana users smoke it (or use it in other ways) more often than middle-aged users, making marijuana more of a replacement drug for alcohol for them.”
This is, in fact, part of the trend that is occurring. marijuana is replacing alcohol as a substance of choice. So it’s not as if overall substance use is declining, it shifting. In addition, the article does not touch upon the increasing use of hallucinogens in the younger population. “Magic Mushrooms”, MDMA, LSD, and other substances are part of the culture of the young.
I believe Millennials and Gen Z are much much more health conscious. They’re pushing the envelope when it comes to physical challenges, ie climbing for one. Trekking. And they’re more like to use pot in some form. Less damage to the body. And they grew up reading about, learning and sharing the latest health trends.