US alcohol use fell for the first time since the pandemic, but remains above pre-pandemic levels. The study found that adults aged 50 to 64 were an exception to the wider decline: both their alcohol use and heavy drinking rose, with heavy drinking increasing particularly sharply.

The research, published in *Annals of Internal Medicine*, analysed self-reported survey responses from 114,352 US adults between 2018 and 2024. From 2022 to 2024, alcohol use fell nearly 2% overall and heavy drinking more than 8%; Gen Z and millennials also reduced their drinking. Researchers cautioned that self-reports may understate consumption and that two years of decline do not establish a lasting trend. Experts suggested loneliness, grief, health problems and retirement-related changes could help explain increased drinking among older adults, but the study did not investigate causes.