Bad news for those who enjoy the occasional drink: the United States’ alcohol policies could soon change. According to current U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommendations, which have been in effect since the 1990s, males should limit their alcohol consumption to no more than two drinks per day, while women should stop after one.
However, according to a recent interview with the Daily Mail, Dr. George Koob, the head of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the United States may follow Canada’s lead. The nation has changed its advice, advising citizens to limit their alcohol consumption to two drinks per week (down from the previous 15 drinks per week for men and 10 drinks per week for women).
The national alcohol consumption guidelines for the United States, according to Koob, who acknowledged that he occasionally drinks a few glasses of wine, are most likely not going to be raised. Instead, if the rules do change, we might see suggestions like the ones Canada just made.
“So, if [alcohol consumption guidelines] go in any direction, it would be toward Canada,” he told the outlet.
The recommendations for alcohol intake may change in the upcoming Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Koob also pointed out that drinking alcohol has no positive effects on one’s health.
“Most of the benefits people attribute to alcohol, we feel, have more to do with what someone’s eating than what they’re drinking,” Koob told the Daily Mail, pointing to things like a healthy diet and socio-economic status affecting health outcomes.
This comes at a time when a University of Michigan study reveals that among Americans aged 35 to 50, binge drinking is on the rise nationwide.
For that age group since the program’s inception in the 1970s, 2022 reportedly witnessed “the highest prevalence of binge drinking ever recorded” (at 29%), according to the Monitoring the Future panel study, which examines substance use patterns. People between the ages of 19 and 30 are more likely to use marijuana and vaporizers, while drinking is less common among them.
The recommendations for alcohol intake may change in the upcoming Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which might not be ready until the end of 2025. The rules are advice for a healthy lifestyle; there are no legal consequences for not following them. They also don’t require those who don’t drink to start.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, was questioned about Koob’s comments during a news briefing on Monday but chose not to comment, saying she would “leave it to the experts.”