While younger generations are drinking less, adults aged 50 to 64 are drinking more, causing a shift reshaping the US bar scene
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.
we’re old and dont give a duck
Weed is the new alcohol.
I quit drinking last year at 33 years old next month is one year. I didn’t do it because I had a drinking problem, I was drinking one pint of beer a week, if that and a six pack would last a month, if I even bought a six pack at that point.
It was just like all it did was make me angry, tired or an ass to be around and it was becoming a waste and I didn’t feel like it was doing anything for me and it was a fucking waste after a while.
I did have a few thoughts of I could take or leave it when I was depressed a few times and those were the worst because that means I was considering drinking more because I felt like shit and then I was like fuck this shit.
…
… Plus empty carbs and ngl, I like root beer more than alcoholic beer. I like coffee more than alcohol. I like weed more than alcohol. I Iike chocolate more than alcohol. I like biking more than alcohol. I like everything more than alcohol.
The only time a beer really hits the spot for me is after a hot day spent working outside. The first sip of a frothy cold beer is magic.
But even then that works just as well with non alcoholic beer
A can of Pepsi that’s in a cooler that’s been chilled for like two hours, those are crispyyyy.
It works better with non alcoholic beer, that’s why Athletic is out selling everything at Whole Foods.
Those are the people that were already drinking
Til a new word : imbibing - means drinking a liquid or, often informally, consuming alcoholic beverages.
Rhere is a multitude of reasons we’re drinking more. none of them are pleasant.
Their body, their choice. Sure hope that’s okay with prohibitionists who want to rape their way of life on the rest of us.
Dont worry. When humanity wins the war on drugs, sober people will not be persecuted, incarcerated and forced to do drugs.
Drugs will become so much safer people might want to do drugs. For example there was this guy working on an alcohol replacement with (from what I remember) benzos analogs and he was working on increasing euphoria while decreasing physical dependence. Sounded like an interesting idea but he ran into a bunch of DEA/FDA hurdles. I have always wanted to try Coca tea, I have no desire to do cocaine mostly because it’s always cut nasty like and requires intranasal.
We’re hitting the age where we realised we’ve got another forty fucking years of this instead of dying at fifty like we hoped
every generation pickles itself when the life gets rough. it makes it a smidge more tolerable
Only while you’re actively drunk, it makes it harder the rest of the time.
true. dts suck heh
Well, let their liver receive the penance of their vote for Orange Palpatine.
Pssh. I’m drinking because others voted FOR Orange Palpatine!
That makes 2 of us. I’ve got a bottle of Laphroaig waiting for when it happens.
I thought Trump, like Hitler, was teetotal?
If I get freedom, I would love to drink alcohol as a Gen Z.
Liquid Whatever.
One of my Gen-X friends was telling me how he started drinking more during COVID.
He said one day the supermarket cashier remarked “oh hey, are you throwing a party?”
And he said “nope, this is just my personal weekly alcohol consumption.”
Awkward!
Not mentioned in the article: 20- and 30-somethings are broke, and a night out is crazy expensive now. Plus legal weed is waaaay cheaper than alcohol.
ehhh if you’re a PBR enjoyer $12 for a 12-pack is hard to beat. I like my weed, but it ain’t $12 cheap yet here
Bummer to hear. $20 a quarter oz here lasts me longer than two twelve packs, so a little more affordable. It’s definitely not topshelf weed, but PBR isn’t primo either. I’m in cali though where the weed market has collapsed due to oversaturation and over regulation.
This was my argument for a long time. For 25 I get 12 that’ll last me a night IF I don’t share. 25 of weed will get you 3 days if you just smoke j. Plus the whole not becoming a degen that makes bad choices is a plus.
not sure about that last part
plus weed psychosis is realCalling it “weed psychosis” is confusing correlation with causation. Nimbys and cops harass people who smoke weed, making them paranoid. Occasionally they crack and wind up in the psych ward. Doctor sees “weed use,” ascribes causation, and records it as such.
Dozens/hundreds of these cases stack up, some researchers do meta-analysis, nobody points out what would be glaringly obvious to a stoner (and any stoner who points it out gets labeled psychotic/delusional), and the “causality” gets made official.
Then doctors continue recording “psychosis” every time a stoner says “I’m being stalked and harassed,” and the cycle continues.
Yeah, I only go out on occasions.
Gen-X is drinking more? When did we drink less? :)
