In 2022, it was estimated that around 63 percent of those aged 26 to 29 years in the United States were current alcohol drinkers, the highest rate of all age groups. Those aged 26 to 29 also had the highest rates of binge alcohol use. Although the legal age to consume alcohol in the United States is 21, around 31.6 percent of those aged 18 to 20 years were already current alcohol users.
Binge drinking in the United States
Binge drinking is commonly defined as consuming five or more alcoholic drinks on one occasion for men and four or more drinks for women. Binge drinking is most common among adults in their 20s, and more common among Hispanics and Whites than other races or ethnicities. The states with the highest prevalence of binge drinking are Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Montana, while West Virginia has the lowest prevalence of binge drinking of all U.S. states. In 2021, almost 22 percent of the population of Wisconsin binge drank in the past 30 days, with the overall prevalence rate in the United States around 15 percent at that time.
High school alcohol use
Although alcohol use among teens remains a problem, the annual prevalence of alcohol use among those in grades 8, 10, and 12 has decreased dramatically over the past two decades. In 2021, it was estimated that a combined total of about 30 percent of those in grades 8, 10, and 12 had used alcohol in the past year. In comparison, the annual prevalence rate of alcohol use among these grades was just over 67 percent in the year 1991. The 30-day prevalence of alcohol use for these grades has also decreased significantly. In 1991, around 40 percent of those in grades 8, 10, and 12 used alcohol in the past month, while in 2021 this rate dropped to just 15 percent.
FAQs
The percentage of people who were classified as having a past year substance use disorder, including alcohol use and/or drug use disorder, was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 compared to youth and adults 26 and older.
What age group has the highest rates of Alcohol Abuse and addiction? ›
The percentage of people who were classified as having a past year substance use disorder, including alcohol use and/or drug use disorder, was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 compared to youth and adults 26 and older.
What are the statistics for drinking age? ›
Underage Drinking Statistics. In 2022, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), about 19.7% of youth ages 14 to 15 reported having at least 1 drink in their lifetime. In 2022, 5.8 million youth ages 12 to 20 reported drinking alcohol beyond “just a few sips” in the past month.
What are the demographics of alcohol consumption? ›
107.5 million men ages 18 and older (85.9% in this age group) 108.1 million women ages 18 and older (82.4% in this age group) 922,000 American Indian or Alaska Native adults ages 18 and older (74.2% in this age group) 9.9 million Asian adults ages 18 and older (64.2% in this age group)
What is the trend in alcohol consumption in the US? ›
Alcohol consumption
When averaged over two years, 2021-2022, 63% of U.S. adults aged 18 and older consumed alcohol. Gallup, Inc. indicates that "the drinking rate ticks up to 65% when narrowed to adults of legal drinking age" of 21.
What age group are the heaviest drinkers? ›
In 2022, it was estimated that around 63 percent of those aged 26 to 29 years in the United States were current alcohol drinkers, the highest rate of all age groups. Those aged 26 to 29 also had the highest rates of binge alcohol use.
Which age group is most affected by alcohol? ›
Teenagers. Teenage years are the riskiest time to develop an alcohol dependence. Youth who start drinking before the age of 15 are 4 times more likely to be one who alcoholism affects later on in life. On top of that, an individual's brain is still developing well into their twenties.
Why is the US drinking age so high? ›
When states had lower legal drinking ages in the U.S., the underage drinking problem was worse. For example, before the 21 minimum legal drinking age was implemented by all states, underage drunk drivers were involved in over twice as many fatal traffic crashes as today.
Which age group is most likely to be binge drinkers? ›
Adults under 35 are more likely to do this than other age groups, and men are twice as likely as women. People who make more than $75,000 a year and are more educated are most likely to binge drink.
What are the four types of drinkers? ›
There are four types of drinkers, each with different motivations:
- Social. These people drink to celebrate. ...
- Conformity. People drink to fit in, not necessarily because they would normally drink in the situation. ...
- Enhancement. These people drink because it's exciting. ...
- Coping. These people drink to forget about their worries.
An estimated 15 million people struggle with an alcohol use disorder in the United States, but less than 10% of them receive treatment. More than 65 million Americans report binge drinking in the past month, which is more than 40% of the total of current alcohol users. Teen alcohol use kills 4,700 people each year.
What group is most at risk for alcoholism? ›
Young adults: At greatest risk for AUD.
By young adulthood, drinking alcohol is far more prevalent than during adolescence, including among those under age 21 for whom drinking is illegal.
Which state drinks the most alcohol? ›
Among the 50 states and Washington D.C., New Hampshire takes the crown for the most alcohol consumed per capita, reporting 4.43 gallons per capita per year.
Is there a decline in alcohol consumption USA? ›
The share of adults ages 18 to 34 who say they ever drink dropped from 72% in 2001-03 to 62% in 2021-23.
Which generation drinks the most? ›
Baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) have consistently been more likely to drink alcohol than the Silent Generation (born before 1946).
What city in the US consumes the most alcohol? ›
Milwaukee and Wisconsin are yet again topping the lists for alcoholism in the U.S. According to a survey by InsiderMonkey, Milwaukee has an excessive drinking rate of 24.6%, the highest among cities in the United States.
Which age group most commonly drives under the influence of alcohol? ›
Age. Young people are the most at-risk for drunk driving. NHTSA data shows that drivers between the ages of 21-24 account for 29 percent of all fatal alcohol-impaired crashes, followed closely by 25-34 year olds (28 percent).
Which of the following age groups is most at risk for alcohol dependence? ›
In the United States, 17.6 million people — about one in every 12 adults — abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent. In general, more men than women are alcohol dependent or have alcohol problems. And alcohol problems are highest among young adults ages 18 to 29 and lowest among adults ages 65 and older.
Who is more likely to abuse alcohol? ›
According to all the data available on the topic of men and alcoholism, men are at a significantly greater risk to develop an alcohol addiction than women – by a lot. In fact, some estimates suggest that men are as much as four times more likely to be afflicted with alcoholism than women.
