Alcohol Misuse in the U.S.: A Closer Look at the Statistics

The After-Work Drink: A Common Story

It’s 5 p.m. on a Friday after a draining week. You’ve just walked through your door. Maybe you argued with your boss, or a client was rude—all you want is to unwind with a drink. You feel you’ve earned it. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. This is a common scenario in American life.

More than 85% of U.S. adults have consumed alcohol at some point, 70% drank in the last year, and over half had a drink in the past month. Let’s explore the reality of alcohol misuse in the United States.

How Many Americans Struggle with Alcohol Use Disorder?

While the U.S. has one of the lower per capita alcohol consumption rates among developed nations—trailing countries like Belgium, Germany, and France—it leads in rates of alcohol abuse. Approximately 15 million people in the U.S. have alcohol use disorder. Sadly, fewer than 10% seek treatment.

In 2021 alone, 28.6 million adults—over 10%—had alcohol use disorder. This includes 16.3 million men and 12.4 million women aged 18 and older. But adults aren’t the only ones affected: 894,000 adolescents aged 12–17 also live with this disorder.

Although young adults (18–25) and adults (26+) report the highest current alcohol use, older adults are not exempt. In fact, 1 in 20 adults aged 65 or older had alcohol use disorder in the past year.

Alcohol: A Leading Preventable Cause of Death

Alcohol is one of the nation’s most preventable causes of death, ranking behind only tobacco, poor diet, and physical inactivity.

• More than 140,000 people die from alcohol-related causes each year.
• Every day, 385 Americans die due to excessive alcohol use; 84% of these deaths are among adults aged 35 or older.

Many of these deaths stem from long-term health issues like liver disease, heart disease, and cancer. However, short-term effects also contribute—over 2,200 people die from alcohol poisoning annually, mostly adults aged 35–64.

Alcohol use disorder is linked to more than 200 distinct health conditions and injuries. It also costs the U.S. around $250 billion every year.

Average Alcohol Consumption in the U.S.

In 2022, U.S. drinkers reported having about four drinks per week on average. For regular drinkers—those who had at least one drink in the past week—that number rose to six drinks per week.

Among adults aged 18 and over, 5.1% engaged in heavy drinking (more than 14 drinks per week for men, more than 7 for women). Encouragingly, drinking among young adults has declined—from an average of 5.2 drinks per week in 2001–2003 to 3.6 drinks in 2021–2023.

When it comes to non-drinkers, 39% of women and 33% of men reported complete abstinence from alcohol. By age group, 40% of those aged 18–29 were sober, compared to 30% of those 30–49, 35% of those 54–60, and 46% of those 65 and over.

Alcohol Use and the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic worsened America’s relationship with alcohol. Online liquor sales surged 262% year-over-year in the first three weeks of March 2020, coinciding with widespread lockdowns. Alcohol sales grew 2.9% in the first year of the pandemic—the largest annual increase in over 50 years.

A Johns Hopkins University survey found that 60% of participants drank more after March 1, 2020. Alcohol-related deaths jumped 25.5% between 2019 and 2020, totaling nearly 100,000 deaths. By June 2021, however, drinking levels had largely returned to pre-pandemic norms as restrictions eased and social activities resumed.

Binge Drinking Across Age Groups

Binge drinking—consuming 5 or more drinks in one sitting for men, or 4 or more for women—remains a serious issue.

• 24% of adults (roughly 59 million people) reported binge drinking in the past 30 days.
• This includes 32 million men and 27 million women.
• About half of women of child-bearing age drink, and 18% of them binge drink.

Binge drinking also affects teens: 3.8% of youth aged 12–17 (995,000 people) reported binge drinking in the past month, with more girls (594,000) than boys (400,000). Even older adults are not immune—around 20% of those 60–64 and 11% of those over 65 report current binge drinking.

High-Intensity Drinking: A Growing Concern

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has identified “high-intensity drinking” (HID)—consuming alcohol at twice the binge drinking threshold or more—as an emerging trend.

Though research is limited, data show HID is common among binge drinkers and often tied to events like holidays, sports games, or 21st birthdays. In fact, high-intensity drinking peaks at age 21. Nearly 13% of young adults aged 25–26 reported at least one HID episode in the past two weeks.

Compared to non-binge drinkers, those drinking at twice the binge threshold were 70 times more likely to have an alcohol-related emergency department visit. At three times the threshold, the risk rose to 93 times more likely.

The Bottom Line

The statistics are clear: alcohol misuse is a serious and widespread issue in the United States. Many Americans—men, women, and youth—struggle with frequent or excessive drinking, posing risks to physical, mental, and emotional health.

Help is available. Quitemate is one option that has helped millions of people reduce their drinking or quit entirely. If you’re facing challenges with alcohol, remember you’re not alone—and it’s never too late to seek support.