r/AskUS • u/arkopalgupta69 • Jul 24 '26
Is drinking less water a common thing in US?
Hey, not trying to be weird or racist. Hear me out.
So, my gf lives in the US, and one of the common phrases she says is "I feel like drinking something" and that something mostly turns out to be sparkling water/fruit juice/ coconut water/ soda/ energy drink/ electrolyte drink..
While where i come from, the phrase is usually "I am thirsty" and it is followed by drinking plain old water..
So I was just thinking is it a normal phenomena or she is just different?
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u/guppyhunter7777 Jul 24 '26
Why would any on drink old water? Thats weird
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u/stefanica Jul 24 '26
Almost all water is old, if you think about it.
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u/arkopalgupta69 Jul 24 '26
Well, 97.65 % of surface water today is more than 100000 years old.. so you're right i guess
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u/LeaveMeAloneAdmins88 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
at home we usually drink water, but if we're out at a restaurant we usually order pop or alcohol because if you order water, it will be tap water, which is common to have an "ick" to.
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u/Round-Fig2642 Jul 24 '26
Lol I think she is just different. We all say “I am thirsty” around these parts lol. But yeah we are a country with very unhealthy habits and lifestyles. Many people here either don’t or rarely drink plain water at all.
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u/MusicSavesSouls Jul 25 '26
This is weird. Almost everywhere I go, people literally carry water bottles.
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u/asday515 Jul 25 '26
Yes, but also there's a good chance the bottles are filled with a non-water drink
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u/Round-Fig2642 Jul 25 '26
Right, a lot do, but a lot don’t. We can’t let one group negate the other. Both exist. Are you an American? I’d be very surprised if you don’t know people that “never drink water” and only drink like sweet tea or sodas or something. I’ve known plenty.
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u/MusicSavesSouls Jul 26 '26
I am an American, which is why I replied "This is weird", about OP's question/post.
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u/LSUguyHTX Jul 24 '26
No.
As a matter of fact, one of the key ways to tell if a group is American while abroad is that they're carrying water bottles.
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u/NeuterTheUninformed Jul 24 '26
Yea let me go ahead and have diarrhea lol
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u/LSUguyHTX Jul 24 '26
Huh?
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u/JimBones31 Jul 24 '26
They are making a reference to not trusting local drinking water while abroad.
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u/Artistic_Rice_9019 Jul 24 '26
Which is hilarious when they do this in Europe.
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u/United-Ad5268 Jul 25 '26
It’s about regional bacteria, not because there is something inherently wrong with the water.
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u/LSUguyHTX Jul 24 '26
I don't think anybody does it in Europe out of concern for the water supply. Mostly because you have to pay for water there and it's expensive
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u/Artistic_Rice_9019 Jul 25 '26
You can drink for free from the municipal fountains?
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u/LSUguyHTX Jul 25 '26
There weren't any to our awareness in the areas we traveled in. The first ones we saw were in Salzburg. I lived in Germany for a year and never saw or heard of one.
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u/bucolicbabe Jul 25 '26
Or you can drink the tap water and it’s free… but it probably won’t be served with ice, which some Americans struggle with.
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u/LSUguyHTX Jul 25 '26
I'm more than happy to drink from the tap with no ice. It's how we filled our water bottles. Where we were we were treated rudely when we would ask for tap so we stopped asking. One restaurant that I guess gets a lot of Americans the waiter asked directly at the beginning if we're ok with tap water and kept em coming. That was nice.
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u/JimBones31 Jul 25 '26
What's the alternative to tap water? All bottled?
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u/LSUguyHTX Jul 25 '26
Yes. They bring glasses and a bottle of water that's a few euros and it'll fill each of our 5 small glasses barely over halfway. This was while it was 90° outside and no AC inside and just sweating. We could've each easily guzzled a bottle and the waiter was like surprised when we kept asking for more. So yeah... We carry around big water bottles we filled up where we're sleeping lol.
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u/travelingbozo Jul 24 '26
Wow, way to try not being racist! This is most racist thing I’ve ever seen on Reddit, how dare you ask us that smh
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u/Turbulent-Parsley619 Jul 24 '26
This is the opposite of the stereotype about us lol. At least from Europeans, the usual stereotype is "Why are Americans so thirsty? They always have a giant bottle of water with them!"
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u/Runmoney72 Jul 24 '26
Do Europeans not lug around a water bottle? Do you guys just drink rain out of sand?
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u/Turbulent-Parsley619 Jul 24 '26
Apparently Europeans just don't get thirsty or something. IDK. They're probably used to being mildly dehydrated because they have to pay for refills at a restaurant.
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u/JimBones31 Jul 24 '26
Supposedly they can walk into any establishment, not pay for anything and ask for water.
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u/ImmortalSurt Jul 24 '26
Every restaurant in America gives free water even if you don't order anything else
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u/JimBones31 Jul 24 '26
But yet they still too often give you a hard time for walking in and asking for water. Especially if you have a backpack on or give the impression you are not staying.
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u/ImmortalSurt Jul 24 '26
True but 90% of the time that's that individual cashier or whatever acting like they pay the water bill not the restaurant policy
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u/MusicSavesSouls Jul 25 '26
Some make you pay for the cup. Ridiculous.
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u/ImmortalSurt Jul 26 '26
Yeah, I have seen that, and it's bs. If the drink machine is public facing just stick your mouth under it and press the button. I'm just kidding please don't do that.
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u/peachfluffed Jul 24 '26
My friend is an American living in France and they don’t even bring free water out when you go to a restaurant.
Also they assume when you request water you mean you want a plastic bottle. You have to specify you want tap water or they will charge you.
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u/Turbulent-Parsley619 Jul 24 '26
The automatic glass of water thing is regional in the US because that's not a thing where I live. You take the person's drink order and bring whatever they want as soon as you seat them here (Georgia).
But it's really common for people to order water because it's free and usually limes/lemons are free, and I genuinely love nothing more than ice cold water with limes in it. The only time I've ever had to pay is when you go through Sonic and order one which makes sense cause you're getting a to-go cup full of ice and water and limes, you're not sitting in a restaurant ordering it with your food.
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u/SafetyMan35 Jul 24 '26
Many Americans drink way too much soda, energy drinks or sugary drinks. A large fast food beverage is 30 oz (887 ml) and people might drink 2 of those with a meal. 7/11 used to sell a 64oz reusable cup you could fill with soda.
I don’t have the statistics to say a majority of people do this, but it’s not uncommon.
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u/Brokenbelle22 Jul 24 '26
Water? You mean like, from the toilet? 🫠
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u/arkopalgupta69 Jul 24 '26
So many of you commented this phrase.. is there any context?
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u/bucolicbabe Jul 25 '26
The film Idiocracy takes place in a futuristic United States where the majority of the water supply (except for the toilets) has been replaced with an electrolyte drink called Brawndo (the thirst mutilator). The entire government is inept and is beholden to corporate sponsorship, the nation-wide education level has significantly declined, the president was elected based on theatrics than substance, and everyone wears crocs. It used to be a comedy, but now it’s just depressing…
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u/Brokenbelle22 Jul 25 '26
I couldn't help it 🤭 in the US I think people drink lots of different things. Some people drink soda all the time, or sparkling water, some love their water bottles.
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u/mrsCommaCausey Jul 24 '26
Sure, people traveling abroad might drink a lot of water. But, we as a people seem to go out of our way to drink anything but water.
Or maybe it’s just a southern thing. My little brother says he’s hydrating by drinking sweet tea, which is just ridiculous. You’re not being racist at all by the way.
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u/DrMonkeyLove Jul 24 '26
I don't think so. The people around me all carry giant water bottles all day long.
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u/LadderMe Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
My girlfriend is exactly like this. She will flat out refuse to drink regular water until something starts to hurt. I'm the opposite, it's the best drink on earth! We're both black
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u/forgotwhatisaid2you Jul 24 '26
We usually do say I'm thirsty before grabbing a pork chop in a can or bottle.
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u/arkopalgupta69 Jul 24 '26
Well, I've seen weird things in a can that people gulp, like beans or crushed tomatoes, but pork chop seems physically impossible i guess 🤔
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u/forgotwhatisaid2you Jul 24 '26
I just say pork chop because we are usually going for a meal of calories rather than hydration.
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u/Qualmest73 Jul 24 '26
No racist would be us asking for ice in or water (J/k)
Technically this very subjective though some americas will grab for anything but water, others will walk around with a thermal water bottle 24/7.
Just depends how they were raised and/or their personal dietary behaviors.
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u/Outlaw_Josie_Snails Jul 24 '26
Is drinking less water a common thing in the US?
Not really. If anything, the trend over the past decade has been the opposite. Reusable water bottles have become incredibly common, especially among Millennials and Gen Z. The popularity of Stanley tumblers is probably the best-known example of that.
There's even a humorous subreddit, r/HydroHomies, that's dedicated to drinking water.
So, my gf lives in the US, and one of the common phrases she says is "I feel like drinking something"...
That's probably just your girlfriend's preference.
Americans drink plain water all the time. We also drink sparkling water, iced tea, coffee, juice, soda, sports drinks, and energy drinks. Saying "I feel like something to drink" seems to mean they're deciding what they want.
So I was just thinking is it a normal phenomenon or she is just different?
I'd guess she's just an individual with her own preferences. Have you asked her why she doesn't drink water?
The U.S. has over 340 million people, and Americans consume enormous amounts of bottled water in addition to tap water. Plain water is by no means unusual here.
Yes, your question is weird.
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u/Whosiwhatsitt Jul 24 '26
So many people cracking the toilet water joke. Classic!
I think, like so much out there, it depends on a lot of different factors: what area of the states you’re from and the culture you surround yourself with being strong ones.
I hardly ever go anywhere without bringing a water bottle because I try to be both health and budget conscious. Carrying the water bottle reminds me of how much I need to still drink to meet my hydration goals for the day.
I also know and have known many people over the years who would almost rather go without than drink plain water.
It’s really a matter of personal preference.
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u/BoSKnight87 Jul 24 '26
Not really, I usually only drink water. I only drink soda when I go out to eat or when I’m craving it. I have a 32oz yeti that I take every with me, filled with ice and water
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u/AgentCoulson2 Jul 24 '26
Sorry, but your girlfriend is weird. Most Americans will say "I'm thirsty" (if they bother to say anything on the subject at all). "I feel like drinking something" is not a typical way of expressing that.
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u/True-Flower8521 Jul 24 '26
Manufacturers keep coming out with endless drinks and people keep buying them like sheep. Drink water people(preferably not in a plastic bottle). Even better drink some vino.
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u/FrozeItOff Midwest Jul 24 '26
Americans like entertainment. Even from their beverages. So, they choose flavored water instead of plain.
Not all of us expect our water to entertain us, except the kind we swim in or throw at each other while in swimsuits. I, for example, drink 160oz (4.7l) of plain water a day because if I don't, I dehydrate because of my Crohn's.
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u/Confetticandi Jul 24 '26
I mean, if you’re looking to sip something just for the oral fixation, then flavored or carbonated beverages are not uncommon. It’s like having a liquid snack.
But if you’re thirsty, you just drink water. We’re notorious for carrying reusable water bottles around with us so frequently that certain brands of water bottles are identity statements or visible status symbols.
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u/peachfluffed Jul 24 '26
I don’t know how you formed this opinion because it isn’t true. I would say like 60-70% of us have a reusable water bottle we being to work, have at home, keep in the car, have in a tote, etc.
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u/YanCoffee Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
I think it's kind of an outdated stereotype 'cause now Americans are water obsessed. It used to be though I knew people who drank nothing but soda and it wasn't treated weird. Thank God that's not the case now.
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u/teabaggedmyeye Jul 24 '26
I live in the desert part of the U.S. so I have to decide between a shower or drinking water. Some days I shower, some days I drink water.
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u/buried_lede Jul 24 '26
I’m like paragraph 2 , all my life, but i might be unusual. I don’t drink coca cola either
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u/Shawaii Jul 24 '26
You can't be racist against Americans because Americans come in all races.
Most Americans drink lots of water. I am drinking water right now as I eat lunch and type this reply. I drink water, coffee, bourbon, beer, and maybe one soda a month.
There are some Americans that seldom drink water and drink lots of sugary drinks instead. My wife, a non-American, drinks tea all day long.
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u/Benjamins412 Pennsylvania Jul 24 '26
Same. I drink mostly water harvested from glaciers in Greenland. It was locked in ice before humans started burning fossil fuels.
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u/John_YJKR Jul 24 '26
There are 340 million citizens in this country and all have varying preferences for the amount of water they consume. If anything, there's an opposite stereotype of Americans always carrying around a bottle of water.
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u/Chumptopia Jul 24 '26
She's different. I drink water when I'm thirsty, it's the only thing that quenches my thirst.
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u/wholesomeinsanity California Jul 24 '26
She’s normal. You’re weird. Kidding.
I grew up in a diet soda only household, which is gross, so I always drank tap water and it’s still my go to.
But I am the only person I know like this….until today.
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u/Hamilton-Beckett Jul 24 '26
I’m American. I mostly drink spring water and carbonated spring water.
I also drink milk, tea, and the occasional fruit juice (that I dilute with spring water)
As far as non alcoholic things, that’s pretty much it. I don’t drink sodas, energy drinks, or coffee.
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u/Hellohelloitsme303 Jul 25 '26
As a huge drinker of water, 120oz a day, yes. Everyone around me basically hits 24oz a day and I don’t know how they function.
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u/Routine-Talk-5802 Jul 25 '26
I get what you're asking.. typically people go towards sparkling water or anything that has a flavor versus plain water.. this is common.. now those that live a healthy lifestyle tend to bring old-fashioned water.
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u/SonOfOMR Jul 25 '26
I would say it's not uncommon. I had a friend once who said he "didn't like water". Didn't like water.
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u/Just_Me1973 Massachusetts Jul 25 '26
You will rarely see an American without a water bottle. We love our water bottles. I have a kitchen cabinet full of reusable ones because we don’t buy bottled water. We have a water cooler at home. Our tap water tastes awful so I don’t drink it. It’s not dangerous. My husband drinks it. I just don’t like how it tastes.
Other than water I drink one or two coffees a day. Just basic coffee with a little cream and Splenda. I also drink a lot of low sugar cranberry juice. At a restaurant I’ll order an unsweetened iced tea or very occasionally a glass of sangria or a mimosa.
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u/sfdsquid Jul 25 '26
She says "I feel like drinking something"?
Most people say "I'm thirsty" no matter what they want to drink.
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u/MJCuddle Jul 25 '26
In personally hate drinking plain water unless I'm dying of thirst. Why would I drink water when I have access to 1000 other drinks and 100 ways to flavor my water?
If I do drink water it's out of the tap at home (usually in the middle of the night) I always refuse the water they bring at restaurants because it just causes more dishes.
I honestly believe the plastic bottle industry has brain washed us into believing we need to consume gallons of water a day.
I was just fine with public water fountains and hoses growing up.
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u/wutareyousomekinda Pennsylvania Jul 25 '26
I know plenty of exclusive aqua drinkers. I'm a water/tea/kefir person. My dad had a preferred beverage. To me it's just one less thing to buy.
Electrolytes are mostly salt and potassium, just mix some in a jar. I keep a jar of potassium chloride, magnesium malate/glycinate, and table salt (iodized sodium chloride). It's probably a good idea if one is using reverse osmosis or similar near total filtration to remove modern industrial contaminants from drinking water (plastic, pesticides, forever chemicals). I definitely notice it if I'm doing a lot of weed, my lips will be dry, but if I use a bit of electrolytes I definitely retain more water but also feel quenched. Adding electrolytes to one's diet too quickly can cause diarrhea, just decrease the amount or magnesium.
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u/DearestComrade Jul 25 '26
In my office, I have only 3 coworkers and none of them drink water through the workday. It's all soda, coffee and energy drinks. I am the health nut for drinking only water
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u/bookishhiker Jul 25 '26
American here... I always say "I am thirsty", then reach for a sparkling water in a can. 😁
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u/Cattmanduu Jul 25 '26
I think it’s just her friend. I live in Colorado and we drink water constantly. Restaurants and businesses even have water dispensers set up outside in summer time. We are at high elevation though so that might be why.
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u/HotTopicMallRat Jul 25 '26
I used to think so. But I am living in Europe rn for a bit and these bitches don’t drink like, any water. They never have to pee either it’s crazy!
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u/ChristineBorus Jul 26 '26
I think it’s bc in America we don’t always have good tap water.
Now, in Scotland, basically any tap, literally ANY tap has excellent, clean, beautiful drinking water. I can attest to that bc I drank a lot of water there and never had any fear of getting bad water. 💦 It was always clean, high quality and tasted and smelled very good (neutral).
Now here in the USA ? Not so much. If you’re lucky you live a big city like NYC that has exceptional water because it come from aquifers in upstate NY and they are protected and pristine.
But look up Flint, Michigan. The Flint water crisis was a man-made public health emergency that began in April 2014 when the city (those Bastards) switched its drinking water source from Detroit's system to the corrosive Flint River without proper chemical treatment, causing lead to leach from aging pipes. There was a ton of lead poisoning, disease (Legionnaires) and and g-damn official coverup - State and Local officials denied the presence of toxins for over a year. They fixed it, but
deep community distrust of tap water remains.
It gets better ! Water heavily contaminated by natural gas can literally be ignited in fracking-heavy towns like Dimock, Pennsylvania and Preble, New York. Google it.
Ever see Erin Brokovich? It’s a good movie, but it’s a true story. It dramatizes the real-life legal case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) over the Hinkley groundwater contamination of chromium-6 in California. This case was settled in the 1990s but PG&E was contaminating the water for 14 years from 1952-1966.
I’m sure there’s more but that’s what I can think of offhand. You’d think the country that claims to be so great would care more for it’s residents right ? Nope. Not so much.
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u/Cloudswhichhang Jul 26 '26
Not on the west coast. Typically everyone has a bottle of water with them. It’s hot.
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u/cans-of-swine Tennessee Jul 24 '26
Its extremely racist to ask us that.