Are Younger North Americans Quitting Drinking For Good?
Gen-Z in particular is ditching the bottle
How’s your Dry January going? Mine isn’t going at all, because I’m not doing. But it seems more people than ever — primarily the younger crowd — are ditching the bottle lately. And this is a good thing.
The BBC notes the 25-and-under crowd was most likely to be living alcohol-free (the senior crowd is the opposite.) But why? They cite reasons such as being more aware of the negative outcomes of drinking, and how it makes them more vulnerable. The article also alludes to being in control when they’re out, perhaps to avoid becoming a viral TikTok star for the wrong reasons.
When I was in my 20’s, drinking was a given (and we didn’t have social media to broadcast our ridiculousness.) You were expected to drink for all occasions, as you still are in many cases. As Michele Maize put it more eloquently in a recent article on this topic, you actually have to explain to people why you don’t drink.
Drinking is such a societal expectation — despite the potentially bad effects — that we encourage it.
Admittedly, as someone who grew up with drinkers, my first reaction to hearing young people proclaiming their alcohol-free lifestyles is to roll my eyes. Yeah, okay, you’re sober, good for you.
