Americans Drank Less Alcohol in 2018 for the Third Straight Year

(Bloomberg) -- Americans are drinking less alcohol.

Total cases of beer, wine and spirits consumed in the U.S. dropped 0.8 percent to nearly 3.35 billion in 2018, the third consecutive year of declining volumes, according to a report from IWSR, which studies the beverage market.

The main culprit is the beer slump, with consumption down 1.5 percent last year as more drinkers gravitated to spirits and wine. It was the 24th straight year that wine gained volume in the U.S. according to IWSR, with prosecco a standout. Mezcal, meanwhile, drove growth in spirits.

“It’s clear that Americans are drinking less overall, which is likely a result of the continued trend toward health and wellness,” Brandy Rand, IWSR’s U.S. president and global chief marketing officer, said in a statement. “We’ve also seen for some time now that consumers aren’t necessarily loyal to just one category.”

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