A third of U25s haven't drunk alcohol in the past year

[dirtychinchilla]

A lot of the younger ones at work don't drink or don't drink anything like my generation did at their age - but drug use seems to be far more prevalent and while smoking is also relatively low, vape use seems to be climbing steeply.

It is funny when some of them are scornful about alcohol and hand waving at the health impact, but then you find they are doing other substances :s

Quite a lot of these other substances aren't dangerous in the way that alcohol is though. I do agree that vapes are a bit of a plague though. They're just way too easy to smoke whenever you feel like it, amplifying the addiction.

 

[Richie]

I go to Fabric every month and it’s always packed full of younger generations.

So you're the creepy old man standing in the corner?

 

[drakulton]

If these 16-25s never drank alcohol. They would be if they worked in retail .

Some customers’ rudeness makes you want to drink.

Have no idea how those colleagues who don’t drink for various reasons cope

I didn't know you worked in retail?

 

[Hyburnate]

Kind of feel a bit sorry for teenagers/young adults now. Booze is bloody expensive, drugs aren't what they were in the late 80s early 90s. We used to be able to get smashed for under £10 when I was 18. And then the whole rave culture kicked off in around 88 but 1990 for me and then you could get off your face and dance all night and have the most amazing time for £10-15. No hassle, no dodgy drugs, just hundreds of people having the best time ever. All the loved up girls in hot little outfits wasn't exactly a bad thing either. And no camera phones to show us all gurning our faces off.

edit: if I could go back and live one night again it would be one of those nights.

I think you're also forgetting the fact it now costs ten times the average annual wage to buy a house too.

 

[ChroniC]

On the local radio today, a nightclub owner was blaming the students for his nightclub closing down.. He said they were pre drinking and not spending enough, and also less likely to go out as much....

I wonder why.

 

[413x]

A third of under-25s and 26% of 16-24 year olds are liars

I've only had 2 beers this year.


There are much better, much more fun things to do. Cost of it doesn't help much either.

 

[Ayahuasca]

Nothing like a good sesh back in the day.

Though I’m not surprised people are turning away from it now mind with all the health data available, cost of entry and drinks and the fact most people just stand there on their phones.

90s and early 2000s was absolute peak for nightclubbing. Had some euphoric nights in Ibiza without any substances.

 

[PlacidCasual]

and the fact most people just stand there on their phones.

Yeah I hadn't thought of this. I hang out with people who's brains formed before ubiquitous mobile phones. Christ I can't imagine what it must be going out with digital natives.

 

[PhigBill]

I'm 37 and haven't drunk alcohol in over 10 years now, don't need it and get little enjoyment out of it, I still go out, go to the gigs, festivals, and the footy, just don't feel the need to drink or understand the “social” aspect of it, if anything if someone uses that as an excuse then I think it's pretty sad.

 

[FoxEye]

How much of a delusional bitter old fart does one have to be to think kids don’t go out clubbing anymore and instead all attend climate change protests lol

I go to Fabric every month and it’s always packed full of younger generations.

I never had a good time clubbing. Clubbing was always ****

 

[NZXT30]

They do drugs instead. They're cheaper and work faster.

 

[Jim99]

Does seem to be a major trend. People would rather go out for food than drinks. It's one of the main reasons why pubs are so different now - can't rely on selling alcohol alone for the next generation.

 

[ubersonic]

Makes sense, drinking alone is viewed as a problem/condition these days and drinking in groups requires going out and socialising in groups, something less and less common with the "young".

 

[HangTime]

Adnams was in the r4 news yesterday, close to administration

Wow, I visited them when on holiday in Suffolk and they were doing a roaring trade from a big outlet shop.

It would be interesting to see comparable figures for previous decades. It's possible 10% or more always avoided alcohol.

Regional breakdown would also be good.

I'm guessing the increase in Muslims within the general population contributes to it, too. And I'm not being all racist, before someone starts!

Not decades, but according to the Mail, "Portman Group said the number of young adults calling themselves non-drinkers was 25 per cent in 2020, rising to 30 per cent in 2021, then 27 per cent in 2022. It is now 39 per cent.".

Young give up booze as two in five under-25s say they are non-drinkers

Young people are turning their backs on alcohol - with two in five aged under-25 saying they are non-drinkers. They are a sober generation compared to their parents, still guzzling wine.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Pawnless Endgame]

The old alcohol limit used to be 28 units per week for male and 21 units a week for female. Calorie limit was similarly 2500 for male and 2000 for female. Then some trans gender agenda came along and and said that both male and female should both have 14 units of alcohol max per week and 2000 calories max per day. Does not compute.

 

[NickK]

Had a singha beer last night at a restaurant .. £7.50. I suspect cost of living and inflation has something todo with it in addition to the social change.

 

[!bluetonic!]

It's the sheer expense of it all. Back then, you'd go to the pub and get a round in, play on the fruit machine for an hour, get a curry and still have change from a tenner. Nowadays you can get cancer from looking at a block of cheese the wrong way.

 

[montymint]

I'm not surprised they aren't drinking, they can't afford it.
There's no cash left after saving for a deposit on a house / car insurance / both

This really. I’m only 39 but even 20 years ago it was much easier to go out and pay for rent / mortgage et al.

The younger lot have a shift in priorities and I don’t blame them. They’ll have time and means to drink later in life, much like a lot of the posters here are doing (enjoying not having to save every scrap just to get a house and just enjoying life)

 

[Nitefly]

I feel very self aware about my relationship with alcohol these days.

I’ve never described myself as having a problem with it, nor have I recklessly binged into oblivion beyond the usual adult stupor. I do also enjoy a drink now and then (still kisses with saliva, shot of baby strapped in back seat etc.).

But it’s now obvious to me that drinking alcohol is generally pretty terrible for you, in this ‘slow burn’ rumbling sort of way that’s hard for me to even notice. I only have because I’ve really taken time to observe myself.

For me, it almost instantly wipes out a layer of anxiety and discomfort that I carry in my default state (these feelings are generally normal and helpful within tolerances). So drinking is a very good way to relax, sure. But then back in the light of day it makes those default feelings of anxiety and discomfort seem more unpleasant… and if you’re a worrywart like me it’s possible to work yourself up into a state where you’re down because you’re always worried.

We all need to tolerate our anxieties etc. so they are not scary, troubling things - just part of our toolkit. But alcohol changes our perception of these tools, IMO, because it makes us feel like we are better off without them and makes us resent them. Likewise, it pushes us to seek out similar bliss like states that don’t really exist long term in life. A lot of life is monotonous and repetitive - we have to deal with that. Once your accept it, it’s really not so bad at all - there is plenty to enjoy.

And just when did life’s minor stresses become such a burden in the first place? Maybe it does have something to do with the seductive experience and compelling enjoyment of being free from troubles (because of alcohol, gambling, porn, daydreaming or whatever the subtly addictive thing in life might be).

Probably for the best that alcohol culture is in decline IMO.

Yes, there’s balance to be found in everything of course. Just throwing in my 2ps!

 

[Deleted User 298457]

Smoking is the new cigarettes tbh. It's a horrible habit.