VITALS
* Sixty percent of American adults say they drink alcoholic beverages.
* Beer is the beverage of choice for 45%; wine, for 32%; and hard liquor, for 18%.
* One-quarter of adults 50 and older who drink prefer hard liquor.
* This year, 30% of Americans say drinking has been a cause of trouble in their families, up from 23% last year.
* In 1997, 22% of Americans said sometimes they drink more than they should, compared to 25% from last year.
* Pollers say this increase may be a change in drinking patterns or alternatively, that as social drinking becomes less acceptable, fewer people are willing to admit they drink too much while more are willing to report a family problem.
Source: Gallup Organization
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