Alcohol consumption has decreased across the United States in recent years, particularly among adults under age 40, but there is one older demographic in which more people are drinking than before the Covid-19 pandemic – and more are doing so heavily, according to a new study.For the first time since before the pandemic, the percentage of US adults who drink any alcohol decreased between 2022 and 2024, according to the report in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. People from 50 to 64, which roughly corresponds with gen X, were the only age group in which drinking continued to increase.They are likely hurting their health by imbibing, according to the latest science, but they are also helping keep open bars. Such businesses have struggled as younger generations, the drivers of nightlife, move away from booze.People in their 50s and early 60s, are those who “we were already most worried about health-related risks for alcohol” and where “we are seeing the highest increases in heavy drinking,” said Dr Brian P Lee, a hepatologist and liver transplant specialist at Keck Medicine of USC in Los Angeles and the principal investigator of the study. “That combination is particularly concerning.”During the pandemic, as people retreated to their homes, drinking increased. In 2018, 66% of US adults consumed alcohol. In 2020, the number increased to 69% and stayed at that level in 2022. The percentage of people who drink heavily, defined for males as consuming more than 15 drinks per week and for females, eight drinks, also increased from 5.1% in 2018 to 6.1% in 2020.“The leading theory had been that in periods of stress, people increase their alcohol consumption to cope with that. We saw that with 9/11; we saw that with Hurricane Katrina,” Lee said.In 2024, the proportion of adults who drank, 68%, remained above pre-pandemic levels but was lower than 2022, the first decrease since 2018.The rate of heavy drinking also decreased – except for the 50 to 64 group. In 2018, the number was 5.6%; in 2024, it was 7.7%. Meanwhile, adults under age 40 were the only group that saw a decrease in the rate of heavy drinking between 2018 and 2024.The older generation “drank a lot in high school, and they have continued to drink a lot”, said David Jernigan, a Boston University professor who has studied alcohol policy for decades. “Drinking patterns get set fairly early in life, and the sea change just hasn’t reached that cohort.”The fact that more people in that age group drink heavily is particularly worrisome, Lee said, because the average age when alcoholic cirrhosis starts to appear is 52, and most alcohol-associated cancers occur in people 50 or older, research shows.“Alcohol is a poison for the body,” Lee said.For years, there was a common conception that a daily glass of red wine could benefit your health, but many public health groups now warn that no amount of alcohol is safe.“The health halo around alcohol has been largely discredited, and the younger generation, particularly the gen Zers, they seem to be getting that health message that alcohol is actually not good for you,” Jernigan said.Still, the substance can act as a social lubricant. The younger crowds’ restraint has hurt bars, which typically relied on 20- and thirtysomethings to stay out past midnight. In 2025, alcohol consumption in the United States decreased 5% from the previous year, according to the drinks industry data company IWSR.So some venues are shifting their attention to those who drink more and retire earlier.In 2024, Laura Baginski started Earlybirds Club, “a dance party for ladies who have [expletive] to do in the morning”, according to their website.Gatherings go from 6 to 10pm and feature music from the 80s, 90s and 2000s. The company has sold out upcoming events in Boston, Berkeley, California, and Chicago. The company recently sold out two nights in Washington DC at the legendary 9:30 Club, which has 1,200-person capacity.“Going out and having a good time is really important for your mental health,” said Baginski, 51. “Alcohol is a part of the experience for a lot of people, especially when they arrive at 6pm and are feeling a little like, ‘I haven’t gone out dancing in so long. I think I need a little liquid courage here.’”Andrew Bochenek, owner of The Magic Bag, a concert venue in suburban Detroit, said gen X has been a significant factor in its programming for 30 years.“You would expect that to become less and less and we would try to cycle through the new generations that are coming up,” Bochenek said. “But in light of what is happening with gen Z and later millennials not drinking alcohol as much, it’s made us really lean into the gen X crowds.”That includes hosting a Talking Heads tribute band and “Mega 80s: The Ultimate Retro Party!”His alcohol sales have decreased about 25% since 2019, Bochenek said.“I don’t think it’s a bad thing that [younger adults] are not drinking. I just think that for our business model and for others like us, it’s really difficult to maintain that same level of operation when you don’t have the income to support it,” said Bochenek.Still, he is cognizant of the fact that as gen X ages, they will be less likely to attend concerts. To reach the younger crowd, he is increasing his non-alcoholic beverage options.Jernigan does not accept that the viability of such bars depends on gen X drinking. He pointed out that mocktails can create significant profit because they cost less than cocktails, but bar owners often price them similarly.He likens the concerns about bars closing due to gen Z’s lower consumption to the fears that arose around smoking bans. And yet, there is little evidence that the restrictions forced bars and restaurants to close.“There are lots of ways around this,” Jernigan said. “And frankly, the industries are going to have to get used to it because the trend is downward.”
