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

A shift in culture ? Not all cultures are as boozy as the Brits (whom the Romans noted liked binge drinking).

Sometimes it only takes the smallest shift in one place to effect a massive shift elsewhere. Given that Islam is hardly a cult these days, maybe having say 5%* of any given population as non-drinkers has some bearing on the rest ? And that is not to ignore the fact that Hindus and Rastafarians also shun alcohol (ironically an Arab word) as well as some Christians.

Meanwhile my friend Jenny thinks it's because we have run out of fun names for cocktails.

*No point doing too much research here, no one wants facts anyway.

That's interesting.. Mine are 8 and 6 and we have never introduced anything other than water or milk at home.

They are given the option of squash, juice or a fruit shoot if at a party or we eat out (whatever is on the kids' menu!), but 9 times out of 10, my eldest will just ask for her water instead.

My youngest does however like a juice or fruit shoot and I wonder if that is the curse of the youngest having a sweeter tooth by virtue of being allowed more sugary things at a younger age when the eldest was having it! (I don't think my eldest touched chocolate before she was 3 or 4 🤣)

Didn’t I just read an article that said alcohol is a lot more harmful for you than previously thought?
Even wine?

www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-01-2023-no-level-of-alcohol-consumption-is-safe-for-our-health

All the young people I know drink, but they tend to go for expensive cocktails rather than pints of Snakebite like I did. We drank to get drunk back in the day. Young people seem to be a lot more sensible regarding alcohol. It doesn't have to be an all or nothing thing though, there's nothing wrong with enjoying a glass of wine with dinner, just not every dinner every night.

Is it? No judgement but I’ve never thought of an evening meal to be crap without a drink. I don’t like wine to be fair so I’m probably in the minority.

My son said drinking out is really expensive. He was starting to resent the ‘it’s your round’ because he doesn’t really like alcohol that much either and it was costing a fortune. When I was young you could go to a club and have a few drinks every weekend, it didn’t break the bank.

I’ve become quite paranoid about the health of my liver since watching a programme that your liver condition can contribute to dementia. Having cared for my mum with it till she passed it’s something I take seriously.

Because they've seen people who can't go out without getting blitzed and making a fool of themselves and don't want to be like that.

They seem more into the drug scene coke etc (not saying all ) but my niece who’s 17 says most of her friends do it instead of drinking

My teenagers drink and so do all of their friends. They also take drugs. And go to the gym. And hold down jobs.

I do think they're drinking less though because as one of mine put it, why would they spend shitloads of money on getting drunk and then feel like shit the next day, when they could just spend a tenner on a pill and have a great night?

drinking alcohol is not all that and i say that as someone who used to hit it hard every weekend/week. At 35 i gave up. Id just had enough of feeling like shit, wasting my weekends with hangovers etc. i felt great after a month, and now its great to always have a clear head, can drive when collecting teens at night etc. i don’t honestly think id ever go back to drinking 7.5 years on

More health conscious, more interested in looking good, worried about the risks of poor behaviour as everything is filmed and put on social media these days and never disappears.
I'm so glad I had my teen years before social media and video phones, I would not want pics of the states I got in still floating about somewhere.

i don’t think that’s the norm either, they seem to abstain or be very moderate with alcohol substances. It’s an interesting demographic

Neither of mine drink alcohol. One of them doesn't even drink fizzy drinks because they can't stand the bubbles. I'm not a drinker but my DH drinks every now and then. Both mine don't smoke either - they really hate it and hate the smell of vapes even more. It's just the way they are which is fine by me!

What’s to like about drinking alcohol..? I don’t like it - can’t see any positives to be honest!
tastes awful, makes me feel ill even after one or two glasses. Next day is so much harder! I enjoy the idea of a nice drink but the reality is always crap.

Is it generational? I know plenty of young people who drink quite a lot. I was a teenager in the 90's and while I tried drinking a few times in my teens I just stopped bothering with alcohol by the time I was 18. I have no idea why other people are so enamoured by it myself.

I suppose looking back there was some idea that if you didn't drink their was something odd about you like it was something religious or you were an alcoholic neither of which are true for me it just leaves me cold.

I will say not drinking all my adult life has been wonderful for my skin, most people who drink frequently it does a number on their skin, especially once they get into their 40's and beyond, it all catches up with them so if younger people aren't drinking so much then good for them.

Wacky baccy.
Wobbly eggs.
Molly.
Wonk.
Plus the fact that alcohol is really expensive these days compared to the quid-a-pint or two quid bottle of Mad Dog/Thunderbird that loomed large in my 1980s teenage years.
Ah...bright orange vomit, I don't miss that one bit...

Carcinogen is also food we eat, mobiles, laptops,PCs, vapes, and many others things in our environment. All we can do is looking after ourselves and our families the best we can. I do love a glass of wine now and then, that’s all.

Sick of seeing drunk parents.
More health conscious
Act of rebellion to not drink
Better options now

I haven't drank in 3 years despite being a heavy drinker in my 20s. My brother is a lot younger and we hang out loads and alcohol just isn't really a factor in his life he has loads of hobbies and would rather spend on nice food I think

I just drink water, I love water. Food doesn’t need ‘pairing’ with wine, that was invented to sell you more things.

Whatever you want to drink is fine with any food.

Several reasons:

1. We now know the risks of giving young people alcohol. In 1960's I first had (very, very weak) Martini as a 4 year old A glass of wine with a special ocassion dinner was seen as norm (by my parents) from the age of 10. I first felt intoxicated at age 12 when (at a family dinner party) the host unthinkingly gave me a much stronger Martini, and a glass of wine. tbh it was heady stuff, my cousin and I giggled and giggled and felt funny and happy and strange. That's the elusive 'high' and that's why I'd never give alcohol to my dgc.

2. When I was a teenager, restricting alcohol sales was (perhaps) asking how old you were. There was no id. You just got the oldest looking of your friends to buy the group carry-out.

3. Alcohol was commonplace but you had to be in with a really different crowd to be involved in drugs. For my group that was dangerous and scary and brushing too close with some very dodgy people or gangs.

I'd like to think that young people today have different values, live clean. But I suspect that some of the change is that legal substances are very controlled (it's pretty hard to buy a bottle of wine for a family dinner if you've got a 16 year old in tow at the supermarket!) but illegal substances are much more widespread and tolerated.

The same applies to the current debate on smoking ban. As I go about my life I rarely smell tobacco smoke, but my goodness, weed is ubixuitous!

I do think, like fake meat things for vegans, alcohol free versions of wine and beer just aren’t as nice (and often taste like cheap beer/wine- which I won’t drink).

so those who never drink - what would you have to accompany traditionally red wine paired meals? Things like steak, stews, roast dinner with red meat - sweet drinks always seem wrong with hearty, heavy meals. Is it just water on your table for dinner?

I’ve also been watching old episodes of crimewatch UK from the 80s and omg drinking and going to the pub all the time just seemed to be so standard, it didn’t come across as if I people did much else activity wise!

It’s weird how wine culture has been so normal. But if you are knocking back a few cans that is looked down upon.

Alcohol is bizarre. It’s so dangerous yet it’s so acceptable to go out and get off your face every weekend and then down a few bottles during the week.

Our youngsters enjoy drinking. 🤷‍♀️

The correct question should be, why do people drink or feel the need to drink alcohol

it is a carcinogen btw

They're all vaping instead 🤣