Americans Drinking Same Amount of Alcohol As in Civil War

RED BLUE SOUTH NORTH –

June 14, 2023 – Alcohol consumption reached a national high in 1980, with Americans drinking an average of 2.8 gallons.

2021 saw the largest two-year increase since 1969 — 5.5% — and marked a 60% increase in liquor consumption compared to the mid-1990s.

Regionally, alcohol consumption increased by 5.4% in the Northeast, 3.4% in the South, 2.3% in the West and 1.6% in the Midwest between 2020 and 2021.

Sheinbaum explained to The Post that “these days, alcohol is so prevalent in everything we do and more accessible than ever.”

“It’s readily available in a handheld cocktail form or sold at the gas station,” she noted.

Canned alcoholic beverages, for example, have become more popular, with ready-to-drink cocktails (commonly called RTDs) seeing a 127% growth in sales over the past two years, according to the alcohol home-delivery service Drizly.

COVID-19 also affected drinking habits, with a 2021 study by the American Psychological Association finding that nearly a quarter of adults were drinking more to manage stress during the pandemic.