Half of American adults now say they don’t drink alcohol at all. It’s a finding that would have seemed far-fetched a generation ago, but the latest Gallup poll shows just 54% of Americans report consuming alcohol, which is the lowest level since the organisation began tracking drinking habits in 1939. The drinking rate has fallen three years in a row, from 62% in 2023 to 58% in 2024 and now to barely half the population in 2025.
What’s changing isn’t just how much people drink, but the way they think about alcohol. For decades, conventional wisdom held that moderate drinking—a glass of wine with dinner, the odd pint at the weekend—was harmless, maybe even beneficial. That idea is crumbling. The same survey found that 53% of Americans now believe even moderate drinking is bad for their health, a steep climb from under a third just a few years ago. The notion that wine could protect the heart has been steadily undercut by research showing alcohol’s role in increasing cancer risk and other health problems, and it’s seeping into public consciousness. As NPR reported, this change in perception may be the single biggest factor driving the change.
Young adults and women are leading the change
The change is most visible among younger adults. In 2023, 59% of Americans aged 18 to 34 said they drank alcohol; in 2025, that number is just 50%. Younger people are more likely to see moderate drinking as harmful, and more likely to say they’re not interested in drinking at all. Many grew up with public health messages about alcohol’s risks rather than marketing that glamorised it, and they’ve come of age in a social environment where sobriety is more visible and less stigmatised.
Women are also making a marked shift. Gallup’s data shows their drinking rate has fallen by 11 percentage points since 2023, compared with a five-point drop among men. That could be linked to targeted public health campaigns about alcohol’s effect on women’s health, or simply a reflection of broader lifestyle changes. And perhaps most surprisingly, the largest drop is among Republicans, whose drinking rate has tumbled from 65% to just 46% in two years. Business Insider noted this 19-point fall dwarfs the decline among Democrats, suggesting political and cultural influences are playing a role too.
Even among those who still drink, consumption is falling. Only 24% of Americans told Gallup they had consumed alcohol the previous day, the lowest figure on record, and 40% said it had been more than a week since their last drink. The average drinker reported just 2.8 drinks in the past week, again the lowest Gallup has recorded. This isn’t a case of heavy drinkers quitting while moderate drinkers carry on; the entire drinking population is cutting back.
Why Americans are turning away from alcohol
Health is the most obvious driver. AP News has reported that more Americans are aware of alcohol’s link to cancer, liver disease, and other serious conditions, and are treating it less as an everyday staple and more as an occasional indulgence. Cultural shifts are playing a part too. The “sober curious” movement has gone from niche to mainstream, and alcohol-free drinks are no longer an afterthought in bars or supermarkets. Younger consumers are driving demand for alcohol-free beer, spirits, and cocktails, and venues are following suit with menus that don’t assume every social drinker wants alcohol.
It’s not about prohibition or moralising; it’s about people making choices that align with how they want to feel. Many younger adults are replacing nights in bars with other social activities, from exercise classes to board game cafés. Among older Americans, the change is slower but still happening. Lydia Saad, Gallup’s director of US social research, told NPR that older drinkers may be adjusting their habits more gradually, but they too are absorbing the message that there’s no safe level of alcohol.
Economic pressure may also be playing a role. Alcohol is expensive, and with the cost of living still high, cutting back is an easy way to save money. For some, it’s about reallocating spending to other pleasures; for others, it’s simply about affordability.
How the UK compares
Britain isn’t seeing a drop as sharp as America’s, but there’s evidence of a similar cultural shift. The Office for National Statistics reported in 2023 that 20% of UK adults say they never drink, a figure that’s been gradually rising over the past decade. Among younger Britons, abstinence rates are much higher: nearly one in three 16- to 24-year-olds now say they don’t drink at all. Like their US counterparts, younger drinkers here are more likely to opt for no- or low-alcohol alternatives, and the UK’s alcohol-free drinks market is growing fast.
Public health experts on both sides of the Atlantic see this as a chance to reshape norms. If fewer people are drinking, not because of bans, but because of personal choice, the long-term health and social benefits could be substantial. The Washington Post noted that the US government is already reviewing its dietary guidelines for alcohol in light of this change, and while there’s no equivalent move yet in Britain, similar debates about safe drinking limits are emerging.
None of this means either country is on the verge of going teetotal. Alcohol remains a fixture of social life, and more than half of Americans and four in five Britons still drink. However, the idea that alcohol is a default, or something to be expected at every occasion, is being questioned more openly than it has in decades. And as more people choose to drink less, or not at all, that choice becomes easier for everyone else to make.
If the past three years are anything to go by, this isn’t just a passing phase. It’s the start of a new relationship with alcohol—one that’s quieter, more intentional, and less tied to old habits. And in both the US and the UK, that change is already reshaping how we live, celebrate, and connect.