Is Gen-Z Drinking Less?

“Sober-curious” is a term used for those who question the presence of substances in their life: how necessary is weed or alcohol? Do you actually need it to have fun, socialize, or party? A keynote is that it doesn’t mean completely cutting substances out of your life, but rather, minimizing it. It seems that alcohol is the precipice of having fun, socializing, and partying while also being one of the most socially accepted drugs.

As someone who just turned 21 in September, I’ve definitely found myself questioning if I am sober curious. I remember all my friends telling me, “You’re legal in America now!” but my immediate response was like, “Okay, so what?” Just because I can legally drink in America now, doesn’t mean I have the desire to.

However, how does this translate to college life? I’ve asked a few UVIC students their thoughts.

“The ‘going-out experience’ is different because people have less money and don’t want to spend as much on alcohol,” Lincoln, a second-year linguistics student states, “Pregaming has become a pretty big thing, and people make [it] more important because they’ll drink more. Once they get to the club, they might not want to actually drink anything there.” Lincoln expresses that she doesn’t think our generation is more sober-curious, per se, but that we gravitate towards pregaming more than the actual event because of the high costs at bars.

I think Gen-Z is very conscious of their money. Whether we like it or not, pregaming is far cheaper than buying individual drinks at a club. 

Perhaps our generation has also grown to prioritize self-care more. Claudia, a second-year writing student, believes that we are more sober-curious. “People might prioritize their nighttime routine, like skincare or going to sleep early nowadays,” she suggests. “An extensive nighttime routine is sort of a trend right now, so people might prefer to do that than be out super late.” Personally, I think the stigmatization of going home early has changed. When we want to leave early, it’s not categorized as “lame” or “dull” anymore. It seems that this generation understands the concept of “me time”. 

Max, a third-year computer science student, disagrees. “As far as UVic, I don’t think people are drinking any less than they used to.” He explains, “I haven’t noticed a significant change from the three years that I’ve been here.” I asked Max if he thinks his social circles are sober-curious to which he responded, “I don’t drink everyday, but I don’t think my friends and I are trying to be [more] sober,” he says. 

So, do you think you might be sober curious? Perhaps you took part in Sober October, or maybe you participated in Dry November? This doesn’t mean that you must cut alcohol out of your life forever (how can you, when Cactus Club bellinis exist?), but it means that you’re interested in consuming less alcohol than you have in the past. With that said, I think the general consensus is that while alcohol is still associated with partying and socializing, Gen-Z will still consume regular amounts of alcohol.

“I definitely think drinking will continue to be the social norm,” Claudia adds. “It’s a way to be social and meet other people, especially in a wide environment like university.” Max agrees with this notion, saying, “I think alcohol will always be the drug of choice.”

While this may be true, I think it should be acknowledged that Gen-Z is at least becoming more aware of the underlying effects of alcohol. We may be consuming around the same amount as in the past, but I believe my generation is now more health-conscious and we prioritize safety more as well. Now, let’s go celebrate our sober curiosity with a Shirley Temple!

• #GenZ
• alcohol use
• health
• party culture
• selfcare
• sober curiosity
• sober-curious
• UVic