Gen Z turning away from alcohol as drinking habits shift

Young people across Australia are drinking less than previous generations, with experts saying the shift is part of a broader change in how Gen Z socialises, manages health concerns and responds to pressure about the future. Dr Amy Pennay, a sociologist and deputy director of the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research at La Trobe University, said the decline had been tracked for more than a decade and was now visible across many high-income countries. Dr Pennay said young people’s drinking began falling in Scandinavian countries and Europe before similar declines were seen in Australia and the United States from the mid-2000s. “Now we’re seeing really low rates of drinking,” she said. While the strongest declines have been recorded among underage young people, Dr Pennay said those habits were flowing through to young adults, including those aged 18 to 24. “When you even look at the 18 to 24 year olds from this generation and compare them with previous generations, they’re still drinking a lot less,” she said. Dr Pennay said it was reasonable to expect lower drinking in adolescence to have longer-term effects, because early and heavy drinking was strongly linked to heavier drinking and alcohol-related problems later in life. “Intuitively, we would assume that if you are drinking less leading up to being an adult, you would drink less throughout the life course,” she said. The reasons for the change are complex, Dr Pennay said researchers had examined factors such as social media, changing parenting styles, health concerns, economic pressure and shifts in the way young people move from adolescence into adulthood. She said young people were also taking fewer risks in other areas, including fighting, wagging school and other drug use, and were often driving, working and dating later than previous generations. “There’s been a whole bunch of changes in the way that young people are moving through that sort of late adolescence to early adulthood stage that mean alcohol has become less important for them,” Dr Pennay said. Dr Pennay said young people were more aware of the long-term health effects of alcohol, including impacts later in life, and were also more conscious of the relationship between alcohol and mental health. She said cost-of-living pressures, university and work expectations also played a role, with alcohol sometimes seen as something that could get in the way of study, work or building a CV. “It’s not all positive news,” Dr Pennay said. “Young people seem to be more worried than previous generations about a whole range of things.” Changing social habits, largely due to online communication and social media, have also reduced the role of alcohol. Dr Pennay said there were fewer late-night venues than in the past, and many young people were choosing to see friends in settings that were not centred on drinking. “People are still seeing their friends, but seeing them in non-alcohol centric environments,” she said. Dr Pennay said young people could now flirt, keep in touch with friends and maintain group chats without needing to meet in public places where alcohol was common. “It really has changed the central location of alcohol, I think, in socialising,” she said. For regional communities such as Wangaratta, the picture is more nuanced. Dr Pennay said drinking across the population had traditionally been heavier in regional and rural areas than in urban areas. “There’s still been a decline in regional areas, but the baseline was higher to begin with, so it’s still higher,” she said. As drinking becomes less common among younger people, choosing not to drink has also become more socially accepted. “It’s now normalised to be a non-drinker because you’re the majority in underage young people,” Dr Pennay said. She said some young people were also rejecting the drinking habits of previous generations, and in some groups alcohol was now considered “uncool”. If the trend continues, Dr Pennay said it could bring long-term physical health benefits, particularly as Australia sees alcohol-related health issues among older, heavier-drinking generations. But she said it was also important to recognise the pressures young people were facing, and to make sure lower alcohol use was not simply a sign of stress, isolation or fear of taking risks. “Face to face socialising is really important for mental health and stress,” Dr Pennay said. “It’s just about making sure that the balance is right, between physical and mental health.” At headspace Wangaratta, team leader Katie Shalevski said they are certainly seeing some changes in the way young people think about alcohol. "Many young people are more aware of the impact alcohol can have on their mental health and overall wellbeing, and there's a growing interest in healthier lifestyles, whether that's through sport, fitness, or simply making different choices socially," she said. "That doesn't mean alcohol and other drug use has disappeared. "We still support young people experiencing challenges with alcohol, and we're also seeing concerns around other substances that are often cheaper and more accessible. "Every young person's experience is different, which is why it's so important to avoid assumptions and instead have open, honest conversations about alcohol and other drug use. "The positive change is that young people today have greater access to evidence-based information and harm minimisation advice than previous generations, and they're often more willing to seek support early. "At headspace Wangaratta, we provide free, confidential and non-judgemental alcohol and other drug support, helping young people explore their relationship with substances and make informed choices that are right for them."

Gen Z turning away from alcohol as drinking habits shift

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