Surprise: U.S. drinking rate at 15-year high

1939-2010 Trend: Do You Have Occasion to Use Alcoholic Beverages Such as Liquor, Wine, or Beer, or Are You a Total Abstainer?

Despite some yearly fluctuations, the percentage of Americans who say they drink alcohol has been remarkably stable over Gallup’s 71 years of tracking it. The high point for drinking came in 1976-1978, when 71% said they drank alcohol.

The low of 55% was recorded in 1958. When Gallup first asked Americans about drinking, in the waning days of the Great Depression in 1939, 58% of adults said they were drinkers.