Gen Z are exploring new ways to spend their free time without involving alcohol, but are they abandoning drinking culture altogether?
For a long time, going to the pub or going to a bar has been the go-to way to socialise for young people up and down the country however, it now looks like times are changing. It seems that Gen Z’s drinking habits are significantly changing, with more and more of the generation adopting a sober curious lifestyle. Around a third of people aged between 18 and 24 do not drink alcohol at all, according to research from MINTEL. Young adults seem to be spending their free time taking part in activities that are of an alcohol-free nature and focused more on fitness and wellbeing.
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Sam McBride, an Academic Tutor in Psychology at the University of Sunderland, gave us his opinion that Gen Z are more conscious of their online appearance now than ever before. “When I mention social media, people love to like go for a walk now and put a picture up of like, look at me up on the mountaintop, I’ve gone up to the lakes or something like that.”
“It makes for, I guess, good content, which may be a thing and also it’s another thing around the health thing of like, oh, look, I’m being healthy, I’m going for a walk, I’m having a good time. Like I think, appearing like you’re building up this appearance online is quite important to people.”
With the decline in drinking culture, this has directly resulted in a decline in going out clubbing in the UK, with nightclubs closing at an unprecedented rate. In a shocking report from The Night Time Industry Association (NTIA), they have revealed that between June 2020 and June 2024, the UK lost 480 nightclubs. It was also disclosed that between December 2023 and June 2024 alone, 65 clubs shut down, which equates to three closures a week. This leaves the clubbing industry in a crisis, with all remaining clubs faced with the task of pulling in as many customers as possible to stay in business.
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The Institute of Alcohol Studies published a report on youth drinking rates a few years ago. That showed the number of 11 – 15 year olds in England who have had an alcoholic drink had decreased from 59% in 2004 to just 38% in 2014, falling by 22% in the span of 10 years. They theorised that this could be due to the rise of new technology, particularly the spread of internet access and the growth of social media posing as a diversion, providing young people with activities more enjoyable than drinking.
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Fashion North caught up with Dr Katherine Severi, who is the chief executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies. She gave us her opinion on Gen Z’s relationship with alcohol.
“So, I think one of the first most notable things is that younger people appear to be a lot more health conscious today and more aware of the health risks linked to drinking. I think that this also interacts with increased social media use. So, in my generation, for example, if you wanted to socialize with your friends outside of school, you’d have to go and meet in a park and go around somebody else’s house. In Previous generations that was also associated with alcohol consumption.”
“I think that the focus on wellness and physical activities and healthier diets and lifestyle more generally has definitely had an impact on young people’s attitudes towards drinking. And I think that they have a lot more of an understanding of the impacts of harmful substances on their bodies and longer term risks that perhaps, previous generations didn’t have or didn’t prioritise.”
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Almost 20% of Gen Z consumers stated that their reasoning behind choosing low and non-alcoholic drinks is the added health benefits. An extra 15% of Gen Z were enticed to choose alcohol-free drinks due to them having a lower calorie content than alcohol, as seen in surveys from MINTEL. The potential health benefits are seeming to be the leading factor in young people choosing to lead a low alcohol or even alcohol-free lifestyle.
Girls Who Walk Sunderland is a group for women that provides regular free walks, hiking activities and social events like picnics and coffee mornings. They provide a space for girls to socialise while embracing alcohol free environments. Their co-founder Sophie Richardson gave us her opinion on how their members are approaching the events.
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“We have a lot of girls, myself included who maybe have their own friendship groups but they only socialise around drinking and wanted to meet people who are likeminded and want to do more wholesome activities.”
When asked if she feels it’s important to have more events centred around alcohol free environments, she added: “Absolutely, personally I don’t drink apart from the odd occasion and so this suits myself too! Women I have had the pleasure of meeting through this group have wanted the opportunity to make real connections and friendships and also find new interests! We started doing just walks and built to add more events like yoga and candle painting to ninja warrior and hikes, more because we wanted to attend events like this and we found that everyone else wanted to do these activities too but just didn’t have anyone to do this with! I have met some of my best friends through this group, people I talk to every day and I know that I am not alone in that which is amazing.”
