As we wind down the first month of 2024, let me ask you: Did January seem a little dryer?
OK, I’m not talking about all those sweeping cold fronts and snow storms, so you can stop rolling your eyes. I’m talking about something called Dry January.
Yeah, you may have heard about that in the news right after the first of the year. It’s a choice people make to abstain from alcohol, or at least resolve to curb their booze intake, for that first month. But here’s something you might not have heard: There are whispers that some people, in particular young adult Gen Z people, are saying No Mas! As in, no more alcohol—not just for the month, but maybe forever.
An ABC news report stated that not only are Gen Z Americans drinking 20% less alcohol per capita than millennials did at the same age, but 28% of their number have gone booze-free entirely. A Journal of American Medicine study says that youth are losing the booze in even greater numbers, finding that some 30% of 18-to-22-year-olds have turned away from alcohol..
But if that’s real, what’s driving that new thoughtful shift?
Well, this may be one of those cases where social media is doing something good. There are more and more reports of influencers on social media decrying the evils of booze and addiction. Some call themselves Sober Curious, a term that simply means you’ve chosen to avoid alcohol for personal or wellness reasons. They’ve been espousing the fact that switching off the booze spigot in one’s life can result in better mental health, better concentration, improved sleep, better looking skin, a healthier immune system … the list goes on and on.
An influencer named Millie Gooch, for instance, talked about all the ways that stepping back from alcohol has improved her life, saying: “It sounds rather gushy, but there isn’t one part of my life that hasn’t improved because of not drinking. From my friendships and finances to my physical and mental health, my life has only upgraded since binning booze.”
And young people seem to be listening.
For example, the TikTok trending #Sober has had 4.4 billion views and #soberlife has 1.2 billion. People are noticing. And that’s a good thing. Because some statistics for teens haven’t always been so great.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, for instance, reported that in 2022, 3.2 million kids between the ages of 12 and 20 reported binge drinking at least once in the month prior to the survey. “Although youth drink less often than adults, when they do drink, they drink more,” the report stated.
Why? Because they’re driven by peer pressure, the desire to feel grown up, and a steady drumbeat from movies and TV that suggests self-medicating your way through the teen angst years is the way to go.
Let’s face it, that needs to change. They need to see better examples in their life and social media feeds.
So, here’s hoping that what appears to (maybe) be a developing non-alcohol trend amongst young people continues to grow in strength.
Oh, and let me toss out one little encouragement on that front to moms and dads. Consider the examples you set and the lines of communication you establish with your teens. Studies have shown that parents who have open, honest and upfront talks with their kids build trust that will last a lifetime. And those earnest conversations might even sway an uncertain hand before it grabs that proffered bottle or red Dixie cup.
Let’s make some young lives better … and dryer.
2 Responses
I personally choose not to consume alcohol (unless it’s part of Communion at church) because I don’t like the smell or taste of it and I certainly don’t like what it does to your brain.
I’m a millennial and I have never drank alcohol because the people in my family who drink tend to become angry and also if I’m around people drinking the smell makes my throat very dry and sore. I was homeschooled, though, so it was easier to avoid peer pressure.