The percentage of Americans who say they drink has fallen to a record low, according to a new Gallup poll. The dip coincides with a growing concern among those surveyed that drinking even in moderation is unhealthy.

This year, only 54% of Americans said they drink alcohol, said the analytics company , which has tracked Americans' drinking habits since 1939. That's one percentage point under the previous record low in 1958.

Sarah Dermody, a psychology professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, says the change could be driven by the public becoming more knowledgeable about the health risks of consuming alcohol.

"For quite some time, there's been this heavy focus on [the effects of] heavy drinking or binge drinking," she said.

Previous research into moderate drinking (one to two

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