In the eighties, nineties and two thousand, not a single youth party or holiday was complete without alcohol. The consumption of alcoholic beverages was, in fact, the norm. Currently, the situation has changed a lot — The younger generation has become much less likely to consume alcohol. Alcoholic drinks can be said to have gone out of fashion. This does not mean that young people have given up alcohol completely. However, it is treated as an “occasional pleasure” rather than a “regular relaxant.” But what does this have to do with? According to scientists from Austria and Sweden, there are many potential factors, but there is no exact answer to this question yet.
Young people are consuming alcohol less frequently than previous generations
Generation Z — who are they
Generation Z is the first generation that grew up from childhood surrounded by the Internet and Internet culture, as well as social networks. That is, this generation includes people born after 2000. Sometimes this generation also includes people born after 1995.
Currently, many members of Generation Z have come of age and have begun to take their place in society. At the same time, scientists have found that they consume less alcohol than people of the previous generation. This was reported in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review. However, the authors admit that they do not know what exactly keeps these people from drinking alcohol.
Studies have shown that alcoholic drinks are no longer as popular among young people
Another study published in 2023 in the journal Mintel confirms the findings. For young people, alcohol, according to the authors, is not an integral part of their culture.
Why Generation Z consumes less alcohol
One study, published in the journal BMJ Open, found that the decline in alcohol consumption was not spread evenly across generations. The decline in alcohol consumption affected boys more than girls. This has led to a narrowing or even elimination of the gender gap, as boys were previously more likely to drink alcohol than girls.
This suggests that the decline in alcohol consumption has more to do with gender than personality. This assumption is confirmed by the fact that a decrease in alcohol consumption occurs in all major groups of personality traits. But what does this have to do with?
Alcohol consumption between boys and girls was equal
There are several explanations for this phenomenon. One trend suggests that young people are abandoning alcohol in favor of marijuana. More and more countries are moving towards legalizing cannabis. This suggests that cannabis use may soon become more socially acceptable.
According to the aforementioned Mintel publication, there may be other reasons for quitting alcohol. Young people today may be more concerned about the emotional consequences of drinking, such as severe anxiety and fear of a hangover. Therefore, they prefer soft drinks.
Has the health of young people improved
Alcohol consumption is known to have a number of negative health consequences. From this we can conclude that young people should have better health. But is this really so? The data on this is contradictory. In one study, Swedish scientists found a decrease in the incidence of alcohol poisoning, alcohol use disorders and other acute consequences of alcohol consumption.
Negative consequences may stop young people from consuming alcohol
However, some other studies showed a completely different result. For example? a 2020 study found that young adults in the US are frequently hospitalized with alcohol-related liver disease. Obviously, additional, larger and more accurate studies are needed that will reflect the real picture of the relationship between alcohol consumption and health.
Perhaps information on health will also reveal the reason for the decline in alcohol consumption among young people. According to scientists, this information is extremely important because it will allow us to find out whether this trend is associated with the use of illicit drugs. It is quite possible that giving up alcohol has not only positive, but also negative sides.
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Finally, we note that giving up alcohol in itself is certainly a positive thing, since alcohol leads to the destruction of the liver, brain, and also increases risk of developing cancer.