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Americans are drinking - a lot. 

According to an annual Gallup survey, 66 percent of Americans said they consumed more than four alcoholic drinks per week, on average. 

And what are they drinking? Beer. 

Beer continues to be the preferred drink for Americans, followed by wine and liquor. 

Beer is the beverage of choice among both 18- to 34-year-olds and those aged 35 to 54, while adults aged 55 and older lean more toward wine.

Drinkers in the Midwest show the greatest preference for beer, while those in the East are the most likely to drink wine. 

In the poll conducted between July 9 and 12, about four in 10 Americans appear to be regular drinkers, admitting to consuming at least one alcoholic beverage in the past week.

The surveyors found that younger adults drink more than older adults and men aged 18 to 49 are the heaviest drinkers of any age/gender group. Thirty-six percent of younger men admitted that they sometimes drink too much, compared with 18 percent of older men, 20 percent of younger women, and 8 percent of older women.

Gallup found that  22 percent of drinkers saying they sometimes drink too much, up 5 percent from last year, but similar to the percentages in most other years over the past decade.

Results for the Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted  with 1,014 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.