To wonder why the young people don't enjoy drinking alcohol

No thanks. There will always be people of all ages doing stupid shit.

Maybe it's an expense that they can do without.

Maybe they see what it does to their parents and very sensibly think 'no thanks'?

Maybe they're more informed of the harms of alcohol than older generations were and decide they won't start with the harmful, addictive substance that can make you act like an idiot.

Maybe they have better ways of relaxing and/or having fun.

Maybe they don't need the 'Dutch courage' (I must google where that phrase comes from).

Maybe it's all of the above.

The more interesting question to me would be why so many people still drink so much alcohol, so frequently.

I just don't like the taste of alcohol. I have friends who say "Oh I love a glass of wine when I get in from work"

No thanks. I've tried all kinds and hate them all.

It’s a rumour I have heard about but my 18 and 21 year olds like a drink. I’ve been for bottomless brunch and am pissed for a bargain price.

Personally I think alcohol use has declined along with pub and club culture. It was just the thing to do out and about back in the day. More people seem to use cannabis in a bigger way too I think. Much more focus on clean/ healthy living and body image maybe a factor too.

Shloer do some nice reds. I used to love them til they started adding sweeteners in, those give me headaches.

Also worth noting - there’s a trend as well of just drinking water amongst teens. The generation whose parents say no to squash or fizzy drinks just have got used to just having plain water with meals. I do think it’s going to be an issue for the hospitality industry that have relied on drink costs - not just alcoholic but pricy soft drinks - to cover a lot of the costs of running restaurants.

(that’s before how notable the lack of tea drinking is amongst all dc1’s teenage friends- surely by secondary most of us were drinking cups of tea? Seems hot drinks of choice are hot chocolate or very milky coffee)

I rarely drink now and do not enjoy it. I find low calorie tonic water just as nice as G and T, and no-alcohol beer just as good as regular beer.

I was a big binge drinker from about 17 to 30.

I don't really drink at all now. I'll occasionally have a glass of fizz if it's offered but must be about 3 times a year!

No secret to it, I just got bored of hangovers and the feeling of doom the day after. I've never enjoyed a glass with dinner, I just used to drink to get smashed so now I'm not interested in that, I'm not interested in alcohol! (Nor am I young but there we go!)

There's definitely a generational shift. I don't know anyone my age (early 30s) who thinks a glass of wine with dinner most nights a week is normal, but plenty my parents' age who do. And I don't know anyone in their early 20s who drinks much at all - in fact I know plenty who are teetotal. I think it's a combination of being health-conscious and a decline in pub culture generally.

(Having said that, I also know a fair amount of 20-somethings who take far more drugs than I saw as typical at the same age - so YMMV!)

I think that too much of our society used to revolve around drink as part of social contact.

Sadly the person who said drugs are preferred may be accurate. Young people who profess to care about the environment but not about the deaths that come from the drugs trade, such as young black men being stabbed.

The older teens I know all drink. Usually cocktails and lager. 🤷‍♀️

Ketamine.

Research shows that alcohol is bad even in small amounts and this message is reaching younger people who are choosing to listen to it. Us older farts will still drink as someone once said red wine is good for you or alcohol helps relieve stress. etc, and we will hold on to those beliefs even in the face of strong evidence to the contrary.

There's quite a few threads on Mumsnet about how young people apparently don't like alcohol. But that definitely doesn't seem the case to me maybe its just the young people you know.

It’s expensive, going “down the local” isn’t a cultural thing any more, they have seen their parents drink every evening to “unwind”, better education so we now know alcohol can be carcinogenic, stricter venues so they can’t get into pubs or clubs at 15/16 like we did. But I think many more young people vape than smoked when I was a teenager/early 20s

I’m 32 and have almost given up alcohol as have a few of my friends, either for their health, not wanting to waste free time feeling hungover or it worsens their MH. I stopped gradually and organically because drinking started to give me headaches. I now feel like if I can’t have fun, relax or celebrate without alcohol then I should probably either do something I find more fun or find better coping strategies

Cannabis is so much better than alcohol.

For your issues OP - you need some nice soft drinks. Posh cloudy lemonade with the sort of meals you’d have crisp whites with, I’m still struggling for a good drink to have with steak that’s not red wine. I usually end up having water as I don’t want anything too sweet or fruit flavoured.

Why do you need alcohol to have fun? maybe you are addicted, but you won't know until you try and stop.
Maybe the younger generation are better educated than you about how harmful alcohol is. Do some research?

I reckon it’s because when they want to start going a bit wilder and grown up (like 16ish), as a society we’ve made it much easier (and often cheaper) for teens to get hold of drugs than alcohol.

we’ve made them wait until 18 to get drunk, by which point they’ve been finding their own ways of socialising, waiting for the youngest in their friendship groups to be 18 means many have got to 19 before “going down the pub” becomes an option for a friends meet up.

Or the opposite ? I don’t drink, dh doesn’t drink, 23yo dd doesn’t drink. I wouldn’t have minded or judged if she did. She got a bit tipsy at a party when she was 17yo once and i haven’t known her drink since.

I'm 35 and don't drink, not because I'm health conscious or anything but I'm just not that bothered about alcohol, I drank a bit as a teenager but the novelty soon wore off.

I'd rather have a cup of tea or hot chocolate tbh. I'm honestly glad I don't care about alcohol with the price of it these days, I waste my money on other stuff instead. 🤣

I think the point about getting served is a good one.

When I was 16, you could get served in most places, shops and pubs, without any trouble. I also worked in pubs between 18 and 23 and we only very occasionally asked for ID.

The penalties for serving underage are much heavier now and the person doing the serving is personally responsible too.

I think it's cost.

When I was 16 there were places I could go and a.) actually get served, and b.) actually get pissed for £4. (Pound a pint and I was a massive lightweight!)

As a student not much changed, aside from being able to get in places without worrying about it! Even on my meagre earnings and loan I could go out most nights, and go clubbing a couple of times a week. I was an absolute piss head and yet probably only spent about £25 a week on booze.

These days students end up spending that on a quiet night in the pub. And they have far less disposable income than I did, with rent cost etc.

So they don't drink as much just to get pissed, and so they never really get the taste for it. And do the entire culture around drinking changes. An entire generation has grown up being able to socialise without liquid lubrication. They learn to chat, and dance, and shag each other without needing a beer first.

They're freaks if you ask me, but they're freaks with healthy livers and fewer embarrassing memories! Good on them!

google drunken teen videos, some don't seem to have got the memo about not letting go.