Another weekend is here, and your first thought may be to buy your favorite drink at a local bar.
Others, like Lex Jones, said she prefers to spend her time at non-alcoholic bars like Ohio City’s Verbena Free Spirited.
“I stopped drinking a couple of years ago just because it wasn’t making me feel great,” said Jones, a bartender at Verbena Free Spirited.
“I think people just want an alternative lifestyle. They want to have more options.”
When asking around, News 5 learned Jones isn’t the only one drinking less these days.
“I don’t think it really suits me anymore,” said Megan Sullivan.
Unlike Jones, Sullivan said she will enjoy the occasional cocktail.
But she said her days of heavy drinking are in the past.
“I don’t really see the purpose anymore. Like, I’m not going out to the clubs or anything like that so I’m just kind of like okay, like I’m good,” said Sullivan.
According to a new Gallup poll, only 54% of people say they drink alcohol.
That’s down 1% point from the agency’s previous data, making this the organization’s lowest record in its 90-year trend.
Experts believe the decline could be due to increasing health concerns connected to drinking, now that the polling revealed a majority of Americans say drinking one or two drinks a day is bad for one’s health.
"More and more research keeps coming out showing that no amount of alcohol is safe. And not to say that you can't safely have a glass of wine or a beer, but that there are potential health harms and adverse effects even from small amounts and even moderate consumption of alcohol,” said Medical Toxicologist Dr. Ryan Morino.
As a bartender at Verbena, Jones said it’s about giving people options who want to drink less or not at all.
“I love getting to see new people come in and experience a whole new world like there are so many different options,” said Jones.
When News 5 tried asking people about their drinking habits, most declined to speak with us, so it’s not clear if people really are drinking less or shifting to other substances like marijuana.
