Truth Over Profits: USAPA Issues Alcohol Guidelines Prior to Release of Federal Dietary Guidelines
TRUTH OVER PROFITS: USAPA ISSUES ALCOHOL GUIDELINES PRIOR TO RELEASE OF FEDERAL DIETARY GUIDELINES
Action taken after federal report buried, DGAs delayed
The U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance (USAPA) today released independent, science-based alcohol consumption guidelines for the American public in response to press reports that the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) plans to bow to alcohol industry pressure to obscure the scientific truth about alcohol when they issue the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs). USAPA’s recommendations are unequivocal: no amount of alcohol is safe for health.
“Americans deserve honesty, not watered-down half-truths written to protect alcohol industry profits,” said Mike Marshall, CEO of USAPA. “For too long, the federal government has allowed Big Alcohol to blur the facts. The science is clear: Alcohol is a toxic, addictive carcinogen. The only responsible guideline is the truth — drinking less is always better, and not drinking at all is best for your health. This is not a call for prohibition — it is a call for honesty.”
A Contrast to Federal Obfuscation
The release of USAPA’s guidelines comes after reports that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plans to ignore the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking’s (ICCPUD) landmark Alcohol Intake & Health Study, which found there is no safe level of alcohol consumption, when issuing the national dietary guidelines. With the 2025–2030 DGAs already delayed, USAPA is stepping in to ensure the public has access to straightforward, evidence-based recommendations that are not shaped by alcohol industry lobbying.
That’s why USAPA has released guidelines that are evidence-based, independent, and transparent.
The Numbers Behind the Risk
- Consuming more than 7 drinks per week carries a 1 in 1,000 chance of alcohol-related death. At more than 9 drinks per week, the risk escalates to 1 in 100.
- For men who consume just 2 drinks daily, the risk rises to 1 in 25.
- Even at low levels, alcohol significantly increases cancer risk, with women facing higher risks per drink consumed.
Key Recommendations
- Abstain if you don’t drink. Starting to drink offers no health benefits and carries significant risk.
- Cut back if you do drink. Each drink adds to the likelihood of harm — including cancer, liver disease, heart disease, and early death.
- Avoid alcohol entirely if you are pregnant, underage, in recovery, have certain health conditions or family cancer history, or take medications that interact with alcohol.
USAPA’s guidelines draw on decades of research showing that alcohol contributes to at least seven cancers, fuels suicide and gun violence, and kills more than 178,000 Americans each year — more than fentanyl overdoses, car crashes, and gun deaths combined.
“For years the industry has deflected responsibility for the harms they create by insisting drinking is simply a matter of ‘personal responsibility’ while simultaneously fighting to keep Americans from fully understanding the health consequences of consuming alcohol,” said Tiffany Hall, CEO of Recover Alaska and chair of the USAPA board of directors. “The federal government should not be a part of that manipulation — they should be fully transparent about the harms caused by alcohol. But, if they won’t, we will.”
About the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance
Founded in 2014, the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance is the national voice on alcohol policy — working to change the narrative about alcohol, define an actionable agenda for policymaking at all levels, and build a movement driven by the truth that alcohol harms. Envisioning a nation free from alcohol-related disease, death and injury, the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization is leading the fight to change America’s relationship with alcohol by translating alcohol policy research into public health practice. Learn more, including ways to support the organization, at www.AlcoholPolicy.org and follow USAPA on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram.
