Some 63 percent of American adults consume alcohol at least occasionally, a figure that has changed little over nearly eight decades of tracking, according to a recent Gallup report.

Those who imbibe are most likely to consume beer (40 percent), followed by wine (30 percent) and liquor (26 percent). Women most often consume wine (50 percent), while male drinkers favor beer (62 percent).

About 38 percent of Americans always abstain from alcohol, Gallup says. That number has remained below 40 percent since 1997.

Though the percentages of drinkers and non-drinkers have remained relatively stable, there is evidence that drinking problems have been on the rise in recent years. Between 2005 and 2012, heavy drinking increased more than 17 percent, and binge drinking increased nearly 9 percent, according to a study published in 2015 by the American Journal of Public Health.

About 38 percent of Americans always abstain from alcohol.

A report published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry during 2015 indicated that one-third of Americans have suffered an “alcohol-use disorder” at some point in their lives. Nearly 1 in 7 had struggled with such an issue in the year prior to the survey alone.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines alcohol-use disorder as “problem drinking that becomes severe.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an alcohol-related traffic fatality occurs in the U.S. every 51 minutes. In 2015, alcohol-impaired driving accounted for nearly one-third of all traffic-related deaths in the U.S. — and 16 percent of all traffic deaths among children ages newborn to 14 years. The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes exceeds $44 billion.

Joe Batluck, president of Teen Challenge USA, says substance abuse is a symptom of a deeper spiritual problem.

“When you live in a right relationship with Jesus, you won’t need any of those things,” Batluck says. “People who fill the void of their hearts with the stuff of life aren’t allowing Jesus to fill it.”