WOKE –
Jan. 7, 2026 – For the first time, the U.S. government has shifted its recommendations for alcohol consumption, in a move that surprised both the alcohol industry and its opponents…Mike Marshall, CEO of the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance, a nonprofit that “seeks to reduce excessive alcohol use,” described the new guidelines as “a win for the alcohol industry.” The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is the document that brought you the food pyramid, advising Americans on how much protein, whole grains and vegetables they should consume. But while the guidance around food has changed dramatically since it was first introduced 40 years ago — shifting from encouraging all complex carbs to whole grains specifically, for example — it remained constant on alcohol until Wednesday’s publication. One drink a day is safe for women, it always said, and two for men.
The new, vague phrasing is an unexpected outcome for the 2025-2030 revision to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, whose process regarding alcohol was mired in controversy. Many in the alcohol industry, as well as many of its critics, had expected the document to declare that there is no safe level of alcohol, as the World Health Organization did in 2023, or at the very least to recommend fewer servings per week than previous editions. When the Biden administration’s surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, called last January for health warnings on alcoholic beverages, citing evidence of cancer risks, that made it seem even more likely that the dietary guidelines would crack down on drinking.
