Summary: The answer to that question is yes, overall, among adults in the U.S., people are drinking less alcohol since COVID. However, some demographic groups report alcohol consumption remains above pre-COVID levels, which increases risk of alcohol addiction and harm caused by alcohol use.
Key Points:
- During the pandemic, drinking alcohol increased among all adult age groups.
- Elevated drinking levels persisted through 2024 for all age groups.
- New information shows that between 2023 and 2025, drinking levels for all age groups – with one exception – decreased significantly.
Drinking Alcohol After the Pandemic: What Do the Numbers Say?
When COVID arrived in the U.S. in Spring 2020 – now more than six years ago – experts warned we’d likely see an increase in alcohol consumption across the country. It turns out that the experts were right” drinking did increase for all adult age groups around the country. While some experts predicted drinking levels might return to pre-pandemic levels fairly quickly, no one was entirely sure what would happen.
But now we have the data – and it’s a mixed bag.
In this article, we’ll look at the results of two studies.
- In the study “Trends in Alcohol Use After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Cross-Sectional Study,” a group of researchers identified this objective:
“To determine whether increased alcohol use during the pandemic (2020 vs. 2018) was sustained after the pandemic (2022).”
- The same research team published a follow up to that article. In the study “Alcohol Use Between 2018 and 2024: A National Cross-Sectional Study,” they identified a new goal:
“To determine whether alcohol use has decreased since 2022 and whether there are differences among demographic subgroups.”
We’ll review the results of those two research publications in order to learn whether people are drinking less since COVID, or if the increase in alcohol consumption observed during the pandemic persisted.
Drinking Alcohol Before and After COVID
First, let’s look at the results of the initial study, which tracked alcohol use between 2018 and 2022, including the period immediately before and after COVID. Here’s the data, reported as rate per 100 people. Experts use rates because they enable a comparison of levels of consumption across various population sizes.
Any Alcohol Consumption 2018-2022: Overall and by Category
Overall: 2018: 66.34 per 100 / 2020: 69.03 per 100 / 2022: 69.30 per 100
By Sex
- 2018
- Male: 70.56 per 100
- Female: 62.41 per 100
- 2020
- Male: 72.72 per 100
- Female: 65.62 per 100
- 2022
- Male: 72.47 per 100
- Female: 66.28 per 100
By Age Group
- 2018
- 18-39: 70.15 per 100
- 40-49: 72.33 per 100
- 50-64: 67.24 per 100
- 65+: 55.34 per 100
- 2020
- 18-39: 74.74 per 100
- 40-49: 74.51 per 100
- 50-64: 69.64 per 100
- 65+: 54.51 per 100
- 2022:
- 18-39: 73.73 per 100
- 40-49: 76.09 per 100
- 50-64: 69.69 per 100
- 65+: 56.55 per 100
This data shows significant increases in any type of alcohol consumption between 2018 and both 2020 and 2022 for all categories listed. Next, let’s look at the rates of heavy drinking in the same categories over the same time periods.
Heavy Alcohol Consumption 2018-2022: Overall and By Category
Overall: 2018: 5.10 per 100 / 2020: 6.13 per 100 / 2022: 6.29 per 100
By Sex:
- 2018
- Male: 5.01 per 100
- Female: 5.19 per 100
- 2020
- Male: 6.19 per 100
- Female: 6.08 per 100
- 2022
- Male: 6.12 per 100
- Female: 6.45 per 100
By Age Group:
- 2018
- 18-39: 5.27 per 100
- 40-49: 5.14 per 100
- 50-64: 5.65 per 100
- 65+: 4.09 per 100
- 2020
- 18-39: 6.26 per 100
- 40-49: 6.49 per 100
- 50-64: 6.95 per 100
- 65+: 4.75 per 100
- 2022:
- 18-39: 5.79 per 100
- 40-49: 8.23 per 100
- 50-64: 7.15 per 100
- 65+: 4.80 per 100
This data shows significant increases in any heavy alcohol consumption between 2018 and both 2020 and 2022 for all categories listed.
It also gives us a partial answer to the question in the title of this article: people did not drink less in 2022 than 2020, meaning people were not drinking less in the first two years since COVID.
But it’s now been six years since COVID. What happened between 2023 and 2025?
Drinking Among Adults in the U.S.: Most Recent Data
To learn more about whether people are drinking less since COVID, specifically between 2023 and 2025, we’ll refer to the second study we cite above but use data from the same source the researchers used – a Gallup Poll published in late 2025.
In that poll, the researchers at Gallup reported drinking as a percentage of adults who reported any type of drinking in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Here’s what the survey said.
Drinking Since COVID: 2023-2025, Overall and By Category
Overall: 2023: 62% / 2024: 58% / 2025: 54%
By Sex:
- 2023:
- Male: 62%
- Female: 62%
- 2024:
- Male: 61%
- Female: 56%
- 2025:
- Male: 57%
- Female: 51%
By Age:
- 2023:
- 18-34: 59%
- 35-54: 66%
- 55+: 61%
- 2024:
- 18-34: 50%
- 35-54: 70%
- 55+: 54%
- 2025:
- 18-34: 50%
- 35-54: 56%
- 55+: 56%
Here’s an analysis of this data published by the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC):
“From 2022 to 2024, any alcohol use declined signifcantly, while heavy drinking declined more than 8%. The decline marks the first confirmed reduction in alcohol consumption observed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The top-line results are positive. For most groups, people are finally drinking less since COVID. However, not all the results are encouraging. While the Gallup Poll shows an overall decreases in drinking among adults across all adult age groups, data from National Health Interview Survey (NHS) between 2018 and 2024 show persistent high levels of heavy drinking among on age group: older adults.
Here’s analysis of that outcome from Dr. Brian Lee from USC:
“The encouraging national decline should not overshadow the fact that some groups continue to be at increased risk. Heavy drinking among ages 50-64 is up by more than a third since 2018, a concerning trend because this age group faces some of the greatest risks of harm from alcohol, including cirrhosis and alcohol-related cancers.”
This information is important for us. As treatment providers, we support people with alcohol use disorder (AUD), a.k.a. alcohol addiction, from all adult age groups. We understand that heavy drinking increases risk of AUD. We also understand that the health consequences of heavy drinking – i.e. cancer, liver disease, heart disease, and death – increase as we age. Reports like this help us direct our education, prevention, and treatment efforts toward people at most risk – and right now in the U.S., trends show that older adults are at greatest risk of harms caused by alcohol consumption.
Finding Help for Alcohol Addiction: Resources
If you or someone you know needs professional treatment and support for alcohol use disorder – or any other drug addiction – please contact us today. We know exactly how to help. In addition, you can use the following online resources to learn more or locate the type of treatment that’s right for you.
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Finding Help
- U.S. Government Comprehensive Treatment Finder: Search For Treatment – FindTreatment.gov
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA): Alcoholics Anonymous
- Narcotics Anonymous (NA): Narcotics Anonymous
- SMART Recovery: SMART Recovery
