"Current trends indicate that consumers across the board (but particularly Gen Zs and Millennials) will be drinking less alcohol in 2026, and there's no shortage of reasons why. According to Forbes, consumers at large seem to be adopting a premeditated approach to drinking, planning ahead of time which days they will drink, or how many drinks they will have on a given night."
"Alcohol consumption is increasingly being viewed as unhealthy in the U.S., and even "moderation" is out of the picture for many consumers. Since Gallup began tracking Americans' drinking behavior in 1939, its 2025 report demonstrated a record-low 54% of U.S. adults who say they drink alcohol. This figure represents a slow but consistent downturn: 62% in 2023 and to 58% in 2024, and far less than the 71% of U.S. adults who reported drinking alcohol 50 years ago."
Young adults, especially Gen Z and Millennials, are increasingly drinking less and adopting premeditated approaches to alcohol use by planning which days and how many drinks they will have. Alcohol consumption is being reframed as unhealthy across the U.S., with 2025 Gallup data showing a record-low 54% of adults who drink versus 71% fifty years ago. The majority of Americans (53%) now view even moderate drinking as harmful. The World Health Organization has intensified messaging about alcohol-related disease risks, reinforcing movements such as "damp January" and broader deliberate wellness trends.
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