Why Young Adults are Abandoning Alcohol
Jillian Berndtson
| 2 min read
For some, 21st birthdays can be a major milestone. For others, it may be just another birthday, with no special significance behind it.
New studies have found that young people in America and worldwide are actually drinking significantly less than the decades before them. But why?
One theory is that millennials and younger generations are more concerned about their health than previous generations. With the rise of new health studies, many are seeking a holistic approach to living a healthy life, which also means minimizing or forgoing alcohol altogether. Other studies found that these generations are avoiding alcohol because it doesn’t give them satisfaction and actually makes them feel worse than they would drinking water.
Alcohol is known to be a substance that impairs judgment and makes you lose control of yourself and the situation you’re in. Approximately 26 percent of young people interviewed in the U.K. cited fear of impaired judgement as the reasoning behind their decision to stay dry. The continued and growing education on the effects and dangers of alcohol have successfully kept some young adults away from the drink.
Another factor may be the growing use of social media. Traditionally, drinking has been a form of socialization. Today, socializing can be done through a phone screen, eliminating the need for and appeal of alcohol.
In fact, you can still get the feeling of having a “fancy drink” by opting for mocktails instead. In recent years, more bars and restaurants are expanding their mocktail menus to satisfy the non-drinking population, showing how substantial this trend is.
Many believe this trend started after the concept of a “Dry January” caught on. It drastically grew in popularity in recent years, introducing the thought and experimentation with not drinking. When the trend caught on, it further contributed to the concept of moderate drinking by normalizing its acceptance.
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Photo credit: JazzIRT
