Carlos Solis
The post-holiday season is often referred to as Dry January. It’s a time when people, weary from excessive drinking, give their bodies a break from alcohol.
However, recently, for many people around the globe, “Dry January” has increasingly morphed into “Dry February,” “Dry March,” “Dry April,” and so on. This trend is particularly evident among young people, who, despite their youth, are more cautious about alcohol consumption than older generations.
According to a recent survey by the Gallup Polling Institute (USA), the percentage of adults reporting alcohol consumption has dropped to 54 percent. This is down from 58 percent in 2024 and 62 percent in 2023, as reported by IFLScience.
The survey also indicated that the amount of alcohol people consume weekly is gradually decreasing.
Meanwhile, one of Gallup’s earlier studies showed that Generation Z and millennials could be driving society’s shift away from alcohol. About two-thirds of young people under 35 reported that they do not consume alcohol.
The trend of decreasing alcohol consumption, especially among younger people, is being observed in many countries worldwide.
Researchers from Flinders University (Australia) found that young people born between 1997 and 2012 are abstaining from alcohol seventeen times more often than baby boomers (1946–1966) did in their youth. Even those who do drink are doing so much less frequently than their predecessors did when they were young.
Meanwhile, news agencies in the United Kingdom reported that the average number of alcoholic units consumed per person last year dropped to 10.2, compared to 14 units two decades ago.
What could explain this trend? Flinders University researchers linked the trend to several factors, such as increased awareness of the health risks associated with alcohol and the rising cost of living. A shift toward more moderate drinking could gradually reduce the social pressure that compels people to drink in order to fit in.
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