Aug 13 (Reuters) - Alcohol consumption among adults in

the U.S. is at the lowest level on record, a survey by analytics

firm Gallup showed on Wednesday, as most Americans, for the

first time, view even moderate drinking as harmful.

Gallup's latest Consumption Habits survey, conducted

annually, showed that about 54% Americans reported drinking

alcohol, compared with 58% in 2024 and 62% in 2023.

The figure falls below the previous record low of 55% in

1958 in the nearly nine decades of tracking by Gallup.

Alcohol sales have been falling since the pandemic drinking

binge, as inflation and interest rates stretch consumer wallets.

Spirit makers now also face growing warnings from public health

authorities who say drinking even small amounts of alcohol is

associated with at least seven types of cancer.

A majority of Americans - 53% - say moderate drinking is bad

for health, Gallup found, up from 45% last year.

Fewer U.S. drinkers are consuming alcohol regularly, with a

record-low 24% saying they had a drink in the previous day and

40% reporting more than a week since their last - the highest

share since 2000, the survey found.

Average intake over the past seven days fell to 2.8 drinks,

the lowest since 1996 and down from 3.8 a year ago, far below

the 2003 peak of 5.1 drinks per week, the reports showed.

"The declines in alcohol consumption does not appear to be

caused by people shifting to other mood-altering substances - in

particular, recreational marijuana, which is now legal in about

half of U.S. states," Lydia Saad, Gallup's director of social

research, said.

Gallup has tracked Americans' drinking behavior since 1939

and their views of the health implications of moderate drinking

since 2001.