America has made drinking the default setting for social life, and that choice is costing us more than we admit. From office parties to family holidays, alcohol is treated as the easiest route to friendship, confidence and fun. Often, we drink simply because it has become a socially acceptable way to pass our free time and relax.
We need to build a different kind of social life where people can belong without having to drink. There is reason to believe that change is already underway. In August, Gallup reported that just 54 percent of U.S. adults drink alcohol, tying the lowest figure in its trend since 1939.
Seventeen percent said they had substituted nonalcoholic drinks for alcohol. This is more than a consumer trend. It is an invitation to rethink what our gatherings are for and who they leave out.
I know the damage alcohol can do personally. My drinking began early and eventually took me into addiction and homelessness. I learned how quickly a drink can stop being a social accessory and become the center of your life.
Alcohol became my master. Shame follows broken promises; relationships fray; you retreat from the very people you need. When I was growing up, I witnessed my dad’s struggle with alcohol.
I saw how his addiction profoundly affected the lives of everyone dear to him, especially my sister and me. The consequences are not just personal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the alcohol-induced death rate among Americans aged 45 and older rose from 19.5 per 100,000 in 2014 to 25.2 in 2024.
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