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Americans’ self-reported drinking is at the lowest level since 1939

Rates of alcohol consumption in the US are slumping as health concerns mount, a new Gallup poll finds.

8/14/25 9:43AM

As the state of US healthcare morphs at a rapid clip, more Americans are wrestling with the physical risks of one of the nation’s most storied pastimes: drinking.

The share of adults in the US that report consuming alcohol has fallen to 54% in 2025, according to a new Gallup survey released Wednesday. That marks the lowest share the survey has ever recorded, with at least 60% of respondents from 1997 to 2023 reporting drinking.

One factor driving the trend of alcohol abstinence is that attitudes toward the health effects of drinking have shifted dramatically. For the first time in the survey’s history, a majority of Americans (53%) now view drinking in moderation as unhealthy, while the share of those who considered it good for one’s health is at a record low of 6%.

Though alcohol may be a notable gap in the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, new research outlining the risks associated with both excessive and moderate alcohol use — including a landmark report from the US surgeon general in January — has helped turn the tide on casual drinking for many in recent times.

Gen Zero

The same survey also found that young adults were more likely to consider moderate drinking as harmful, with two-thirds of 18- to 34-year-olds now agreeing that it’s bad for health.

While this is consistent with a broad decline in alcohol use among young people, there’s still evidence to suggest that Gen Z might indulge in a drink or two despite the detrimental effects.

US Powerball jackpot climbs to $1.7 Billion

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As the Powerball jackpot has stretched to $1.8 billion, users are flooding into DraftKing’s Jackpocket lottery app.

Americans that live in colder states are more likely to sleep longer

But most US adults still aren’t getting enough shut-eye.

American flag design pillow. USA Flag Throw Pillow. Patriotic concept

Max Knoblauch

9/2/25

Paramount and Microsoft’s Activision agree to partner on a “Call of Duty” movie

Less than a month after forming, Paramount Skydance has landed another major piece of intellectual property. The studio said it’s signed a deal with Microsoft’s Activision to create a live-action “Call of Duty” film.

The competitive shooter is one of the most popular gaming franchises in the world and has been the US’s bestselling series for the past 16 years. The next title in the 22-year-old franchise, “Black Ops 7,” will debut in November.

Paramount, which closed its merger with Skydance in August, has had a summer of big deals. It acquired UFC broadcast rights in a $7.7 billion deal with TKO last month, following a $1.5 billion deal for “South Park” rights in July. The company also lured “Stranger Things” creators away from Netflix last month for a four-year film and TV development deal.

Paramount & Activision Team For ‘Call Of Duty’ Movie

Tom Jones

9/1/25

“Blinding Lights” just officially hit 5 billion streams on Spotify

Over the weekend, The Weeknd’s biggest hit crossed over the impressive threshold, with Spotify marking the feat with an Instagram post that the artist shared to his story.

According to Spotify data collated by Kworb, the song now has a staggering 5,000,010,581 streams on the platform, and is racking up nearly 1.5 million streams each day at the time of writing.

Blinding Lights crosses 5 billion chart — Sherwood News

While Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” released about two years before “Blinding Lights,” looks like it’ll be the next song to hit the 5 billion boundary, “Starboy,” another song from The Weeknd, might not be too far behind.

Besides those two megahits, The Weeknd has 26 other songs that have been streamed more than 1 billion times on Spotify — more than any other artist on the platform.

The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” is about to hit 5 billion streams on Spotify

Besides those two megahits, The Weeknd has 26 other songs that have been streamed more than 1 billion times on Spotify — more than any other artist on the platform.

$30B

Nia Warfield

8/29/25

Americans are set to gamble a record $30 billion on the NFL this season, according to estimates from the American Gaming Association.

For context, that’s the same price tag as all US sports broadcasting rights combined. Leading sportsbooks like DraftKings, Flutter Entertainment’s FanDuel, Caesars Entertainment, and MGM’s BetMGM are positioned to cash in, with each battling for market share through promos, partnerships, and increasingly sticky mobile apps.

Meanwhile, lawmakers are ramping up efforts to crack down on illegal sportsbooks: this month, 50 attorneys general urged the Justice Department to take action against unlicensed gambling, warning that states are losing roughly $4 billion in tax revenue.