January 22, 2026

The Hello Someday Podcast: The New U.S. Alcohol Guidelines Caved to Big Alcohol — And That’s Dangerous

USAPA CEO Mike Marshall was interviewed by Casey Davidson on her podcast, The Hello Someday Podcast. Here are the show notes:


When the U.S. government released the new 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, most people probably didn’t notice what didn’t make headlines.

But something important changed.

For the first time in decades, the federal government removed specific drinking limits from its alcohol guidance. Gone was the already-weak recommendation of no more than one drink per day for women. Also missing? Any clear warning about alcohol’s well-established link to cancer.

What replaced it was vague language encouraging people to “drink less.”

That might sound harmless. Reasonable, even.

But when you look closely at the science—and the political and economic forces surrounding alcohol—this shift isn’t neutral. It’s dangerous. And it represents a clear retreat from evidence-based public health guidance at a time when alcohol-related harm in the U.S. is rising.

In this episode, I’m taking a position:The new U.S. alcohol guidelines caved to Big Alcohol—and the consequences matter.

In this conversation, Mike and I unpack:

✅ What actually changed in the new U.S. alcohol guidelines

✅ Why “drink less” is not a meaningful public health recommendation

✅  How industry lobbying shapes health policy behind the scenes

✅ Why Big Alcohol is so afraid of clear cancer warnings

✅ What science-based alcohol guidance could—and should—look like

If you’ve ever felt confused by alcohol advice, frustrated by mixed messages, or skeptical that the guidelines reflect the full truth, this episode is for you.

For the full show notes, click the link below.