Is alcohol going out of fashion?

[Shepherdspiemix]

Many of my close circle have cut right back & a few have gone teetotal. I understand to a point. They don't have time for hangovers etc. Just wondering is this a rising trend or just in my circle. I'm not a big drinker, I enjoy a few glasses of wine over the weekend but thinking of gradually phasing it out..

I drank a lot from age 17ish to age 30. Binge drinking at uni all through the week and then at weekends once I graduated. It was for fun when I was going out, I was never a 'have a glass with dinner' type.

I lost interest naturally when I was about 30 and then I met my husband who couldn't be less interested in drinking. We're not tee total and I never decided to stop binge drinking, I just lost interest. Now I'm in my 40s with a toddler, I could not imagine alcohol playing a part in my life!

I think younger generations have a different attitude to that of my generation. A healthier attitude towards alcohol maybe or maybe social media and endless photos plays a part! Thank God there is no online evidence of my uni days and early 20s!

I heard that drinking increased in lockdown, what happened to all those people who started drinking more I wonder how they are drinking now. I don't hear much about the after effects of lockdowns I suppose because people are sick of talking about it and were keen to move on plus more sad news eg Ukraine war.

Well I'll buck the trend and say we still drink a lot in my circle of male/female friends. We're late 40s and go out at least twice a weekend and definitely keep the local bars in business!

My son is at Uni and does drink (didn't touch a drop before he started in September) but very few people drink pints, it's all vodka/rum/spirits and generally pre-drinking as its so expensive to drink out in clubs. I do wonder what will become of many of the pubs if the younger ones just aren't drinking beer like previous generations have.

Not in my circle as a lot of us are passionate wine drinkers, even winemakers.

But drinking to get drunk, or drinking to excess is not done these days.

i think so
i was watching Endeavour, and Gold, both set in the seventies, so very much alcohol involved.
whereas now not so much alcohol shown on the tv.
slowly slowly less advertising /messages must have a good effect on people.

it is far too acceptable, in fact it is unacceptable often to Not drink!

There’s a lot more obsession with looking good for Instagram and TikTok. A lot of people (young people especially) are quitting drinking, dieting, working out at the gym, etc. They’re much more into heavy makeup and other modifications like fillers. And it’s all about achieving a certain look for social media.

Doesn't seem to be out of fashion with my age group (60s). I think we are the generation who have always drunk alcohol, underage in the pubs (no one cared) dinner parties in the 80s, wine at home. It would be very unusual to go even now to a social occasion and not have a drink. On the other hand as mentioned previously, neither dh nor I, nor any of my close friends have ever tried drugs of any sort.

I work in a related industry and have a lot of insight into alcohol sales.

Drinking out of the home is actually back to pre-covid levels and drinking in the home, is levelling off back down to pre Covid levels. However the annual spend, and profit, remains to be broadly similar.

I was surprised to learn this. Based on my entire study of 1 person, I've moved to either a decent gin or AF beer.

Whilst there is a trend of people drinking less/less people drinking, this isn't new and for every person that swaps/stops another begins.

I do know there has been a rise in cocktails and cocktail bars, as a Pp mentioned "for the gram". But that is expected to be very short lived.

It is in this house, we've both said we're done with shitty cocktails. All that sugar, all that money and a bigger crash after.

I think it’s an age thing too, I never really cared that much for alcohol but I drank in my 20s, sometime around my early 30s I realised I didn’t much like the taste of alcohol aside from the odd cocktail. I also embraced the fact I don’t like wine or beer, I spent my 20s forcing it down because that’s what everyone else drank and I wanted to fit in. Now I have the odd flavoured gin but that’s it really, much prefer a coke!

Interestingly, Scotland is/was looking to ban all promotional activity of alcohol e.g no sponsorship at sports matches, no merchandise (included being able to buy a keyring at a distillery tour for example)

I definitely agree there's been a sea change. It would be interesting to see research on this.

I don't really drink (never liked it) and I've noticed a big difference in others' response. Five or so years ago if I ordered tonics-and-lime all night, there was definitely a reaction of "But why? You sure?" But now it's normal.

There are studies showing that the the number of young people who have never drunk alcohol and never plan to is increasing, same with trying and using drugs and cigarettes. Other studies have shown that young people are generally more risk averse, which is probably a factor too.

I am mid-thirties and am much more of a moderate drinker now. Like a PP, I have done a lot of thinking about why I wanted to drink and what it was actually giving me, and for the most part have found that the psychological escape alcohol could (sometimes) provide for me is not worth the other negative effects.

Whilst I don’t use an app to track like another PP, I can confidently say that my average consumption is low, even though I do not officially limit or restrict what I drink, but instead just probe my motivation a little bit more. I might start using an app though, because I love data.

Anecdotally within my social and family circles, alcohol consumption varies significantly across ages, life stages etc.

Definitely amongst some younger people. I went back to uni a few years ago and many of those in their early 20s didn’t drink or didn’t drink often. I was really surprised at first but then their degrees are expensive and they did other things with their spare time, and didn’t want to waste it hungover.

I'm in my 50s and have a glass of wine most nights. More at weekends. I enjoy it and have no intention of giving up. I no longer drink spirits or drink to excess. Most people I know of my age drink alcohol but not excessively.

The decline in young people drinking alcohol is in part due to drugs being more readily available. When I was younger I didn't know anyone who took drugs or how to get them. We all drank instead. Each generation will find their stimulant of choice.

I'm a great believer in having what you enjoy in moderation and not judging others.

I grew up in a rural community with f-all to do. I was at the local village pub bar at 16. We'd get an older friend to buy alcohol from the shop and take it to the village cricket match, drink and last after the farmers lads who were playing. By the time I got to London for university I could put away a bottle of wine no problem. But I didn't like the hangovers. Wine have me horrible headaches. Spirits made me feel depressed.

Since my early 20s I've worked in public transport and there are laws about how much you can drink, or not, in the hours before booking on. So that severely curbed my drinking. I'd seen people fail spot tests at work and lose their jobs so I learned. Then I started drinking lager and because there's more of it, I packed in less per hour.

In my late 20s I got pregnant so in addition to the work rules my consumption went down to nothing. After the baby, I just never drank as much. I can Newhaven 2pints and that's it, I drink Coke Zero after that.

My DD has tried various alcoholic drinks but doesn't like the taste. Maybe whenever goes to uni her tastes may change again. The thing down here is drugs, cannabis, mostly. Drink isn't a thing with the teenagers I know. DD says she keeps away from drugs but some of her mates have a spliff at weekends.

No idea where you live but the beer and wine still flows in my town, multiple very successful pubs and restaurants - we worked out that 1 in 4 residents must be out on Saturday nights based on observations (yes some people maybe from the villages nearby but equally some town residents go into the city). Walking back home at midnight the streets are busy

Definitely agree with this. Social media is all about clean living now, taking care of the mind & body. Alcohol doesn't fit in with this image..

@Keepitweird

No you have company

We also are sustaining our local craft breweries. Mostly we support our local independent or tenanted pubs (we avoid Wetherspoons and don't have any other chains in town)

Brought up around alcoholics (who all died early), one of whom got me drunk at 11, I feel such guilt even having one glass. I use to drink heavily in the noughties, but over the last decade it has dwindled. Still share a bottle of wine with DH at the weekend, but we have crates of Becks Blue now. But I do drink one of these most nights and wonder how bad that is!

I've noticed that young people generally have a more mature attitude to alcohol these days than they used to (although increased recreational drug taking is making up for it).

In my group of friends, nobody ever gets blind drunk, although we do enjoy making cocktails on special occasions.

At a regular get together, if I have a couple of beers that would be at the higher end of what people are drinking - there will be plenty not drinking at all or drinking tea!

I'm mid-thirties but this has been the case in my group since my mid-late twenties.

Statistically for the uk the answer is no, it’s fairly stable. It will decrease due to cost of living. It’s effectively a luxury that will go. But it’s popularity remains.

Also, the dating landscape has changed so much. I remember when the only way to meet people was clubbing/pubs and people would get so drunk in the process. Now, Tinder and online apps seem to be the preferred way and if you turn up smashed off your face to a first date its not going to be very appealing 😜

47 gave up 2021 ! Best thing I’ve done tbh none of my friends drink either ! Now my hubbi has ditched the wine he’s a month in !! I like feeling fresh but also health benefits!

A few people I know have cut down. Some drink a few gin and tonics when out or at home but not many get drunk when out.

My reason for cutting back is partly age related.

I am 44 and have been gradually cutting back. I was raised in a house where my parents would enjoy a bottle of wine with dinner most evenings and we holidayed in France a lot, where wine is drunk with pretty much every meal so it has been 'normal' for me to drink wine regularly too.

The older I get though, the worse my hangovers are and the more I will actively avoid them. I am also at that time in my life where weight goes on quicker and takes more effort to come off again so I figure reducing my wine consumption can only help!

I do love a glass of wine though so won't be cutting it out completely. I am just aiming to limit it to when I am in company/out, rather than on the sofa on my own!

I actually have a hen do coming up and am almost nervous at the thought of a hangover the next day so don't think I'm going to go mad on the booze. Non of my friends are big drinkers anyway. My DS is 17 and has had the odd flavoured cider I've bought him at home but doesn't really have any interest. I can't count the amount of times I'd been hungover by his age...!