<\/p>\n
\n Mixed drinks are displayed at a bar in Baltimore, Feb. 8, 2023.
\n <\/p>\n
Julio Cortez\/AP<\/p>\n
<\/b>
\n hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n <\/p>\n
toggle caption<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n
Julio Cortez\/AP<\/p>\n
The percentage of Americans who say they drink has fallen to a record low, according to a new Gallup poll. The dip coincides with a growing concern among those surveyed that drinking even in moderation is unhealthy.<\/p>\n
This year, only 54% of Americans said they drink alcohol, said the analytics company<\/a>, which has tracked Americans’ drinking habits since 1939. That’s one percentage point under the previous record low in 1958.<\/p>\n Sarah Dermody, a psychology professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, says the change could be driven by the public becoming more knowledgeable about the health risks of consuming alcohol.<\/p>\n “For quite some time, there’s been this heavy focus on [the effects of] heavy drinking or binge drinking,” she said.<\/p>\n Previous research<\/a> into moderate drinking (one to two drinks a day) found that some alcohol, like red wine, could be good for you.<\/p>\n However, the consensus among scientists has evolved, according to Dermody, as scientists realized that research showed a pattern of correlation, not causation. For example, people who don’t drink could have negative health outcomes because of a preexisting condition, while those who do drink may not have other health problems, she said.<\/p>\n After controlling for those factors, scientists now say any amount of alcohol<\/a> can have negative effects on health, such as increased risks of cancer, depression and anxiety.<\/p>\n Young people, in particular, seem to take heed to that research.<\/p>\n In the recent Gallup survey, only 50% of Americans from ages 18 to 34 reported drinking alcohol, compared to 56% of people 35 and up. Furthermore, 66% of young people said they think drinking in moderation is harmful, compared to about 50% of people ages 35 and up, according to Gallup.<\/p>\n “They grew up with that safe-level messaging, whereas a lot of us did not,” said Sara McMullin, a psychology professor at Webster University.<\/p>\n McMullin says it’s more socially acceptable not to drink than it once was, pointing to the popularity of no-drinking challenges like Dry January and Sober October, and the rise of mocktails and alcohol-free beer.<\/p>\n