Under-age drinking and overconsumption of alcohol have been an issue, especially in the United States, for a long period of time. There have been countless stories shared about teenagers or young adults facing alcohol poisoning or even death over the excessive role alcohol played in their lives. However, recently there seems to have been a shift in how great a presence alcohol plays for millennials and generation Z. The younger generations are beginning to bring more awareness to the habits of their drinking and shifting to more alcohol-free beers, spirits, etc.
In an article released by Amber Van de Sande in The Drum, she discusses how younger generations do not feel the need to drink Monday through Friday and do not want their lives to be controlled by drinking. This does not mean that they are not social, instead, they choose to have alcohol-free drinks and much less of their socialization revolves around drinking. Brands have also noticed this shift, there has been an ongoing rise in sales of alcohol-free beers and spirits. According to Sande’s article, market-leading beer companies now spend 30% of their marketing budget on these 0% alcohol beers. It seems that it is much more normalized, and there is less pressure to feel the need to get an alcoholic beverage in situations that usually call for one.
I believe that these younger generations are more aware and have been exposed a lot more to the dangers of drinking. Throughout my middle and high school, the main topic for our assemblies had to do with the negative health effects and severity of overconsumption of alcohol. There was more attention brought to serious problems that can come from alcohol, something that I do not think was done before. I remember growing up hearing stories of college students overdrinking and ending up in the hospital, choking on their throw-up, and many other scarring stories. Having all this attention brought to the issue to younger generations as they grow up has caused this shift for younger generations that heavy drinking is not “cool” or necessary and can seriously harm yourself. I do not think the peer pressure to drink or binge drink at a young age exists as much anymore because these younger generations have been exposed to and taught about how dangerous and harmful excessive drinking can be.
Another theory that I think may have played a slight role in the limit of excessive drinking is the increase of social media and cell phones. Nowadays, everything is being recorded, and no one wants a video of themselves overly intoxicated and acting like a fool to be seen by family members or even potential employers. Maybe subconsciously, people now acknowledge that they do not want to act too crazy when they go out and risk hurting their future careers or respect. (However, I think that everyone should have this on their conscious even without phones being present).
Younger generations, as I have talked about in some of my other blog posts, can also be easily influenced by a trend or idea. I believe that the trend of an alcohol-free lifestyle can have some influence from celebrities. For example, model Bella Hadid recently became sober and released her own non-alcoholic drink called Kin. As choosing not to drink, especially in social settings, continues to grow, it may in some way become a trend that people will want to follow.
Younger generations are seeing and acknowledging the real harms of alcohol and how serious the effects really are. Binge drinking is beginning to fade as a fun party activity or way to go out and socialize. Instead, alcohol-free drinks are growing in trend and replacing this mindset, allowing individuals to live a healthier lifestyle. Companies and celebrities like Bella Hadid are also beginning to provide different substitutes for people to indulge in, especially in drinking settings, to take away from the pressure of feeling like you have to consume an alcoholic drink.
Work Cited
Sande, Amber van de. “The Rise of Alcohol-Free: How to Reach Millennials and Gen Z Changing the Drinks Industry.” The Drum, The Drum, 14 Jan. 2022, https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2022/01/14/the-rise-alcohol-free-how-reach-millennials-and-gen-z-changing-the-drinks.
I think this is such an important topic for college students. Many people glorify drinking and this can lead to some serious irreversible issues mentally, physically and emotionally. Binge drinking is no joke. It is such an easy trap to fall into. I wish more college students were not as pressured to drink, I wish activities that did not involve so much drinking were normalized.
This is a very well outlined article and a very interesting topic. Overconsumption of alcohol is a serious issue in todays generation. You mentioned that binge drinking is a declining trend for the younger generations, which comes off as a surprise because I feel like they are starting to drink at a younger age the gen z ever did.
It surprises me to hear that overconsumption of alcohol is declining in younger generations. It seems like it's way more common for younger Americans to get intoxicated than it is for younger Europeans. I'd still say we have a severe drinking problem, but your points about celebrities and social media popularizing moderation are really interesting. I'll definitely look out for signs of that trend, I hadn't really noticed it!
The idea you mention, of younger generations being “influenced” not to drink in order to stay on trend, which we so desperately crave, is really interesting. Adding on to this, I think the trend of the “healthy, clean girl” also contributes to this, as we have been giving all the information about how bad alcohol is for your body through school. I also think, and this is the reason my closest friends who don’t drink choose not to participate, is because many drugs that treat mental illness are not nicely compatible with alcohol, and mental illness rates have increased greatly amongst our generation.