DRUNKLESS DRIVING –
Aug. 20, 2026 – A Gallup survey released on August 20, 2026 shows that only 54% of U.S. adults say they drink alcohol, the lowest level on record, with health concerns driving the decline and a rise in non‑alcoholic beverage consumption. The Gallup survey, conducted in July with more than 1,000 adults aged 18+, found 54% of Americans say they drink alcohol, the same low rate for a second year.
51% of U.S. adults believe drinking one or two alcoholic drinks a day is bad for health, essentially unchanged from a record‑high 53% last year.
In 2001, only 27% of Americans considered moderate drinking unhealthy, according to Gallup data.
86% of respondents said they have heard at least something about recent studies on the long‑term health effects of drinking, up from 79% in 2024.
A study in the journal Cancer reported that people who average 14 or more drinks per week have a 25% higher risk of colorectal cancer and a 95% higher risk of rectal cancer than those drinking less than one per week.
