There was a new report published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, an academic medical journal that is published by the American College of Physicians. The report talked about drinking habits and trends across different age groups in the US. One of the biggest takeaways from the data was that alcohol consumption among Gen Z fell by more than five percent between 2022 and 2024. This is, by far, the biggest dip in drinking that the data in this study recorded.
As per the study, Gen Z has witnessed the biggest dip in drinking since the pandemic. They are the major drivers of the decrease in drinking trends that the study recorded. However, drinking among older adults has seen a considerable increase.
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This, according to Dr. Brian P. Lee, the senior study author cited in NBC News, is quite a concerning trend. Adults between the ages of 50 and 64 have seen a steady rise in drinking since 2018. Between the years 2018 and 2024, drinking in this age group has risen by 2.5 percent.
What is more, around two percent more people in this particular age group reported heavy drinking than in 2018. As per Dr. Lee, this comes to around one million people reporting drinking more heavily than before.
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However, there are some positive findings as well. For instance, the study showed that this is the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that alcohol consumption has fallen. There is a 1.8 percent decrease from 2022 to 2024.
Interestingly, more men have witnessed a decrease in drinking than women. Between 2022 and 2024, men witnessed a 2.4 percent reduction, and women saw a 1.1 percent reduction in drinking.
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The study has recorded some major dips in drinking across many age groups. However, this does not mean that drinking has universally reduced. Certain advanced age groups have seen a considerable increase in drinking as well. The report was quite insightful about the post-pandemic drinking trends and how they differ across different age groups.
