The Trump Administration's New Alcohol Guidelines Ditch The 2-Drink Maximum

As part of the new U.S. dietary guidelines revision released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services yesterday, one clear guardrail was removed for alcohol consumption. The former advice recommended no more than one drink a day for women and two for men for moderate drinking, a longstanding recommendation since 1990. That specific number has now been taken away altogether, giving no specific guidance for safe intake. 

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said at the official briefing that the advice was removed because "there was never really good data to support" the recommendation. This revision means there's now no clear definition between moderate and heavy drinking. 

Previous warnings that even moderate drinking can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and death have also been erased in the new set of guidelines. These changes are a significant departure from recent years, when medical research has found that there's really no amount of alcohol that is considered good for us. The new guidelines do suggest that people taking medication that interacts with alcohol, those who are pregnant, and those who struggle with alcohol use issues steer clear of the substance altogether, but without any mention of minors drinking alcohol.

"The implication is, don't have [alcohol] for breakfast," Dr. Mehmet Oz said at the official briefing. Oz also went so far as to say that alcohol is "a social lubricant that brings people together" (has he never been to a disastrous holiday party?), but confusingly also said, "In the best-case scenario, I don't think you should drink alcohol ... " 

Aside from all the backpedaling on medical advice, it hasn't exactly been a secret that people have simply been drinking less altogether, which is causing serious sales issues for the alcoholic beverage industry. Gen Zs in America, in particular, are uninterested in drinking, though it's thought that the causes are due to a myriad of things, from cost-of-living issues, alternative options like marijuana, social interaction changes during the pandemic, and overall wellness desires.

But the government shying away from the cancer link is going to remove a dissuasive portion of the argument. From all their previous experience and research, medical professionals are still going to be skeptical about the revisions — and although I'm not a doctor, I am too (I've never seen a positive news article that originated from someone being drunk). But don't be terribly surprised if you see a boost in exuberant and unapologetic alcoholic beverage-related advertising in the near future.