A study led by the University of Southern California/Keck Medicine found that alcohol use among U.S. adults ages 50 to 64 increased by nearly 4% from 2018 to 2024, while heavy drinking in that group rose by more than 36%. The finding appears in a report published on Sept. 21 in Annals of Internal Medicine, which notes that while alcohol consumption has declined overall since the pandemic, this specific demographic is drinking more than it did before 2020.
The research analyzed self-reported data from the National Health Interview Survey, which included 114,352 U.S. adults between 2018 and 2024. The study defined heavy drinking as five or more drinks per day or 15 or more drinks per week for men, and at least four daily drinks or eight weekly drinks for women, within the preceding 12 months. Across all age groups, alcohol use declined by nearly 2% and heavy drinking dropped by more than 8% from 2022 to 2024. Despite this recent drop, overall alcohol use remains above pre-pandemic levels.
Other generations show a different pattern. Among Gen Z adults, alcohol use declined by more than 5%, while Millennials drank approximately 17% less from 2022 to 2024. The study also found gender-based differences in these trends. Men experienced a larger overall alcohol decline than women, at 2.4% compared to 1.1%. However, women saw a larger reduction in heavy drinking, with a 9% decrease compared to a 7.7% decrease for men. Brian P. Lee, M.D., the lead study author and an associate professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, noted that women’s heavy drinking rose more than men's during the pandemic and remains about 13% above its 2018 level.
"Women develop liver damage at lower levels of drinking than men, so that number carries more weight than it looks," Lee told Fox News Digital. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institutes of Health provided partial funding for the research. Lee acknowledged that the primary limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported data, which he said tends to underestimate actual consumption. He also cautioned that the data shows only two years of decline following four years of increases, describing the shift as a promising turn rather than an established trend.
Dr. Chris Tuell, clinical director of addiction services at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, who was not involved in the study, suggested that life changes associated with aging may drive increased drinking among older adults. Tuell pointed to factors such as the loss of structure upon retirement, grief, loneliness, and chronic pain as potential contributors. "I wake up and something I've done every day for many, many years is no longer happening," Tuell said. "So I'm more bored. What do I do with my time? This is unfortunately a perfect storm for things like substance use."
Tuell also noted that older adults metabolize alcohol differently than they did in their youth, meaning previous consumption levels may now have more severe effects. For adults over 50 who are drinking more than they did before 2020, Lee recommends consulting a doctor about liver health even if no symptoms are present. "There are clear increases in cancer and liver risk with alcohol, even at low levels," Lee said, adding that early detection of liver damage allows for more effective treatment.