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Gen X is drinking more as younger Americans cut back on alcohol, study finds (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 1 day ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

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While younger generations are drinking less, adults aged 50 to 64 are drinking more, causing a shift reshaping the US bar scene

Alcohol consumption has decreased across the United States in recent years, particularly among adults under age 40, but there is one older demographic in which more people are drinking than before the Covid-19 pandemic – and more are doing so heavily, according to a new study.

For the first time since before the pandemic, the percentage of US adults who drink any alcohol decreased between 2022 and 2024, according to the report in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. People from 50 to 64, which roughly corresponds with gen X, were the only age group in which drinking continued to increase.

They are likely hurting their health by imbibing, according to the latest science, but they are also helping keep open bars. Such businesses have struggled as younger generations, the drivers of nightlife, move away from booze.

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[-] RanchBranch@anarchist.nexus 17 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I can't tell if I'm dumb, but directly from your linked review, under "Epidemiology" (Bolding is mine)

Twin and family studies have demonstrated strong familial inheritance patterns for SUDs (Prom-Wormley, Ebejer, Dick, & Bowers, 2017). Heritability (h2) estimates across SUDs vary, but broadly suggest that genetic influences account for approximately 50% of the risk. Quantitative genetic studies have also suggested that, in addition to the presence of substance-specific influences for SUDs – with nicotine and opiates showing the most evidence of substance-specific genetic factors (Kendler, Myers, & Prescott,2007; Tsuang et al., 1998) – there are heritable factors that contribute to SUDs more broadly (Kendler et al., 2007; Kendler, Prescott, Myers, & Neale, 2003).

Alcohol use disorder

Heritability estimates for AUD range from ∼0.50 to 0.64 (Heath et al., 1997; Kendler, 2001), with a recent meta-analysis reporting h2 of ∼0.50 (Verhulst, Neale, & Kendler, 2015). Heritability estimates for AUD diagnosis tend to be slightly higher than for other alcohol-related traits, such as alcohol use initiation (h2 = 0.30–0.40; Koopmans, Slutske, Van Baal, & Boomsma, 1999) and alcohol use frequency (h2 = 0.37–0.47; Viken, Kaprio, Koskenvuo, & Rose, 1999), which is consistent with prior twin studies suggesting that environmental influences may have a more pronounced impact on initiation, while genetic factors are more influential in progression to heavier use and substance-related problems

(Kendler, Karkowski, Neale, & Prescott, 2000).

Edit: reread your first comment. I see what you're saying. I think its a silly distinction, but I could see your argument. Leaving this for posterity

this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2026

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