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

I did dry January for the first time just to prove I could to myself. Found it easy, but then I've never had a dependence on it and have been able to selectively take it or leave it at will. I missed it much less than I thought I would. A lot of it was habitual, unnecessary drinking of an evening which I do want to cut down a bit.

Young people are still drinking. They pre drink and do other substances. Vaping is also rife now. The cost to drink out now is ludicrous.
 
Nitefly said:
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!
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This is me, drinking puts me in a bubble where things are just fine every worry is pushed out of this bubble ,i don't just watch music videos or films i am drawn in to them but that bubble bursts ,Adrian Chiles in this program asks why is everything so beige without a drink, Frank Skinner who quit overnight even advises cutting down over stopping as his social life was never the same ,but admits he and a lot of others cant do that
btw Adrian does find he has some liver damage


 
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Nitefly said:
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!
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I think I hear you. Alcohol numbs and alters the mind. If the mind needs numbing constantly to make reality more hazy, to forget, then yes perhaps your reality needs looking at. Alcohol is a depressant too. If you ever feel you are "relying" on it too often then it's not healthy. If you feel you "really need a drink" too often, then that's probably also a warning sign.

I still feel that in moderation, it's fine.
 
What i find is that whilst they did less, there seems to be a much bigger uptake in other drug use based on what i've seen from my stepkids (22, 26 and 31). I didn't really get into anything like that until early 20's but they seemed exposed to it a lot younger. I also seem to find a lot more younger people now will just drink to get hammered rather than just have the occasional beer to enjoy the drink.

I've posted previously about this, but if they find a way to make genuinely decent N/A drinks, then i probably wouldn't drink as much as i do. I don't mind the 0% beers over here as much as the UK. Not sure why but they just don't seem to have the chemical taste as much, and when it's warm outside then it's maybe 90% as enjoyable as a real beer. Probably the lack of availability of decent beers helps too. There's not much between a 5% Estrella and the 0% version. Whereas in the UK there's a huge difference between a decent 6% IPA vs a weaker alternative in terms of flavour/mouth feel.

Red wine still gets me here though. There's just nothing that comes close in the N/A variety. Same with Whisky/Rum. They just all have a weird taste to try and replicate the burn but never hit the spot.
 
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jaybee said:
I think I hear you. Alcohol numbs and alters the mind. If the mind needs numbing constantly to make reality more hazy, to forget, then yes perhaps your reality needs looking at.
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Yes - the tricky bit (IMO) is identifying why you like reality being hazier.

It could be because something in your life is hard to tolerate, such as a job. This is the obvious ‘go to’ set of problems.

… or it could be because your very mild dependence on, say, alcohol / daydreaming / porn etc, has the side effect of making the rest of your life less tolerable - so the occasionally hard things get distorted into being ‘really hard’ and it’s hard to see the pros.

It can be both of course, but that second one is really subtle and hard to spot.

The mind is such a puzzle!
 
I would say there's a lot more awareness these days of problem drinking. Also if you go back 10 years, the alcohol free beers were few and far between and they tasted awful. That market has exploded in just the last few years.
I've even reduced my own drinking this year, did dry-jan for the 1st time, and I liked how I felt after several weeks off it. And since alcohol free beers are enough to satisfy that Friday-drink feeling I get at 5pm, I've switched to those lately.
 
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Think I've had maybe a glass of wine all year. Though I've never been a 'drinker' but I'm not entirely shocked by these numbers.

I've always had a small weird bit of respect for people who can get drunk weekend after weekend. Hangovers hit me so hard that I can only handle getting 'drunk' maybe once a year. Saying that, I don't think I've actually got drunk since a friends wedding back in November 2022.

I am fun at parties.
 
robfosters said:
Demographics my friends. Lot more people now who follow a religion that demands abstinence
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This definitely plays a part in my opinion.

Zefan said:
Young people not drinking alcohol? Good on its own.

The reason they're not drinking alcohol? Perhaps not so much.

Is this on balance good or bad. Who knows. Seer you in 20 years when we find out.
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This is the fairest comment. I think it will definitely change society not by itself but as a reflection of changing values as a whole.

Personally I find the world is getting pretty sterile on a number of fronts and more uptight in others.

But Covid accelerated all this. Cowardly old people deprived the children students and young adults the chance to actually enjoy growing up. There's a different segments of stunted people now that have entered and left school systems, universities, first jobs etc that missed out a lot on life.


(Rise in cameras and videos recording **** ups once remembered only over drinks with a laugh/grimace is also a problem)
 
Nutty667 said:
I would say there's a lot more awareness these days of problem drinking. Also if you go back 10 years, the alcohol free beers were few and far between and they tasted awful. That market has exploded in just the last few years.
I've even reduced my own drinking this year, did dry-jan for the 1st time, and I liked how I felt after several weeks off it. And since alcohol free beers are enough to satisfy that Friday-drink feeling I get at 5pm, I've switched to those lately.
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Changing my diet and reducing alcohol intake to pretty much zero has made a really positive difference to my health and mental state in a relatively short time-span. I don't think I ever want to go back to the days of 2-day hangovers. I won't deny it was great fun at times though. :)


Orangeade said:
(Rise in cameras and videos recording **** ups once remembered only over drinks with a laugh/grimace is also a problem)
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I hate this. Gone are the days when you could happily make a fool of yourself, or drunkenly cop hold of some horrific fog-beast without there being evidence of it the next day. Everyone having a video camera on them has sucked a bit of the joy out of modern life.

It's not just nights out, I used to like doing stuff like playing the street pianos but there's always some knob with a phone recording nowadays so I avoid it.
 
jeffk said:
Based on no evidence whatsoever, I blame camera phones. I’m really glad that none of the stupid **** I did as a youngster was posted all over social media.
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Was going to post something similar, everyday I thank my lucky stars my youth wasn't recorded.

Plus maybe kids are just smarter nowadays, which is how it should be.

I had a great time in my youth drinking, but I also wasted a lot of time. I don't drink now, maybe once or twice a year.

I think there's nothing more sad than people in their thirties, fourties and fifties drinking and going out like they would as a teenager. If you've not found more in life then that really is sad.
 
All these young people will never experience waking up, covered in kebab, with a garden full of traffic cones, and a park bench.
 
From my experience, many young people don’t know when to stop drinking.

More worrying I have seen an increase of young adults buying tobacco based on the number of ID checks myself and colleagues ask for. Why are they starting this foul habit?
 
imtoooldforthis said:
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.
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Appropriate username is appropriate :p

I joke, I'm just jealous :( Having 2 young kids makes going clubbing something of a rarity.

FoxEye said:
I never had a good time clubbing. Clubbing was always **** :p
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Depends on the club/music.

Generic Saturday night high street club playing "pop" music and full of ****ed up meatheads looking for a fight/one-night stand? Agreed, no idea how anyone can enjoy that.

Metal club with a moshpit where everyone is there to have a laugh and enjoy the music (and full of hot metal chicks) I'm in!

Or a decent Godskitchen night with some decent artists (had some amazing nights at Air in Birmingham seeing Above & Beyond, Mat Zo, Simon Patterson etc.)

Nutty667 said:
if you go back 10 years, the alcohol free beers were few and far between and they tasted awful.
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Now there are loads of options. They still taste awful!

I'd rather have a soft drink that tastes nice than a fake beer that tastes like bums, just for the sake of having a "beer"

cheesefest said:
Or eating cold pizza when feeling rough the morning after.
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Oi!

I had cold pizza this morning. Morning pizza is the breakfast of champions!

==

In response to the article - I can't help but think this is a good thing. I can't see how anyone who has seen the state of a city centre on a Friday/Saturday night (and the mess the following morning), not to mention the strain on ambulance and police services can disagree to be honest.
 
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cheesefest said:
Bars and restaurants need to increase their non alcoholic drinks. It’s just Coke, tonic water, J2O and soda n lime.
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You need to go to better bars & restaurants!

For me, the problem is more that in many cases the soft drinks are more expensive than the alcoholic ones, sadly I haven't been to a normal bar for years (first covid, then young child with health problems), but IIRC, it was something like £2.50 for a beer, £3.20 for a coke (and not even a proper can/bottle, just the syrup/sparkling water from one of those taps. I know how much they cost to make, we have a sodastream at home!).

Edit: that's not true actually, I did go to watch a couple of bands in a bar a few months ago, but I was driving so didn't have anything alcoholic, a pint of lemonade was about £3-4 though, and this was in a dirty back street "alternative" place, not some trendy high-street bar!
 
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