Even in the alcohol-loving UK, Gen Z is embracing sobriety

Longer-term trends suggest that young Brits have significantly reduced their alcohol consumption over the past 15 years or so

By Alice Kantor

The pub is an entrenched part of British culture. Gen Z isn’t sure it wants any part of it.

A growing number of young people in the UK are choosing to drink less or stay sober, rejecting the country’s boozy traditions for a healthier — and more affordable — way of life. It’s not always easy to do in a country where so much socializing, networking and deal-making revolves around alcohol. In the City of London, bankers cram into pubs like the Bell and the Banker at the end of the workday, spilling out onto the sidewalk with pints in hand when the tables fill up.

Yet a growing number of people cite the binge-drinking culture as to why they quit booze altogether: They’re tired of their weekend-long hangovers.

“The culture around booze has really changed in the last few years,” said Laura Willoughby, co-founder of online sober community Club Soda and a no-alcohol bar and tasting room. “Not drinking is cool now.”

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UK alcohol sales fell 9 per cent in 2022 from a year earlier, including a 10 per cent drop for beer, while sales of no-to-low-alcohol beverages rose 3 per cent, according to data from Nielsen UK.

It reflects a longer-term trend that’s seen young Brits significantly reduce their alcohol consumption over the past 15 years or so. Nearly two-thirds of 16- to 24-year-olds didn’t drink in the last week, according to a National Health Service survey from 2021, the most recent year for which data is available, compared to 35 per cent in 1998. About 38 per cent of them didn’t drink at all in the past year, up from 19 per cent a decade earlier.

And when young people do drink, they’re drinking less — only a quarter of men aged 16 to 24 had more than four units of alcohol (the equivalent of two pints of beer) on any day in the past week, compared to nearly half in 1998.

‘Totally normal’

Aditya Tyagi, an 18-year-old first-year student at Lancaster University, stopped drinking last August, realizing he had just as much fun with his friends sober, and that he could use the extra cash to pay for groceries. Saving about £20 ($24) a week, he’s been sleeping more soundly and feels better overall.

“I don’t need alcohol to have fun,” he said. “Increasingly around me, people feel the same way. It’s become totally normal in my university to say, ‘I don’t drink.’”

In many western countries, Gen Zers and millennials are reported to drink less than older generations, with a growing number of people giving up alcohol altogether. More than one in three Americans stopped drinking for Dry January in 2022, according to consulting firm CGA, up from 21 per cent in 2019.

Gen Z’s reasons for abstaining from alcohol include the taste and smell, hangovers and the long-term health effects of drinking, while saving money is an extra bonus amid the cost-of-living crisis. The average cost of a pint rose 31 per cent over the past decade, from £3.22 in January 2013 to £4.23 this January, according to the UK Office for National Statistics.

Yet in the UK, where the culture of having a pint with colleagues after work is so ingrained, some people say sobriety could hurt a young person’s career just as they’re starting out.

While young people place less emphasis on drinking today, “there are a lot of opportunities to socialize and define who you are as a person at the pub,” said Andrew Misell, director at the charity Alcohol Change UK. “People might not want to give that up.”

Alcohol still far outweighs non-alcoholic drinks in terms of sales, with £19.3 billion spent on booze in 2022, compared to £205 million on non-alcoholic beverages, according to data from Nielsen UK.

Health conscious

But for those who cut back or quit, the financial and health benefits are undeniable. Dominique Harper, a 24-year-old from Liverpool, had been on and off alcohol for years before she decided to quit in January for the sake of her health and her wallet. Spending about £50 on non-alcoholic drinks instead of the usual £500 a month on alcohol, she says staying sober has been life-altering.

“Alcohol made me feel depressed. I feel much better now,” she said, adding that she now has time to work side hustles and save for a down payment on a house. She also no longer has hangover-related stress or anxiety.

Growing awareness of the health benefits of sobriety — including on mental health — has been a major factor for young people who choose to drink less or stop drinking altogether. While support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous have existed for decades, there are more resources than ever, including online communities and apps.

The wider range of no-alcohol drinks available in pubs, restaurants and grocery stores — from zero-proof beer on tap to botanical “mood enhancers” and alcohol-free wines — has also made it easier to stay sober in a range of social situations.

“There’s still a long way to go but there’s definitely an improved attitude towards people who don’t drink,” said Catherine Gray, author of The Unexpected Joys of Being Sober . “Ten years from now, I think half the population won’t drink alcohol anymore at all.”