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've been teetotal for 10 years. I'm 60 now. Even a glass of wine made me look flushed and awful and my body seemed to just stop tolerating it.

57. Very very rarely have a glass of wine in the evening. Never drink at lunchtime. Haven't for years and years. Happy to drive if my husband wants a beer. Alcohol sends me to sleep but then I wake up about 3 am and can't get back to sleep again. Beer goes to my belly and makes it stick out. I don't like that look.

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.

^This.

I used alcohol as a social crutch in my 20s (you're not such a weirdo if everyone's steaming boats). In my 30s, it was a socially-acceptable stress reliever when I had babies, toddlers, a full-time job, and a nursery run (wine o'clock). In my mid-to-late 30s, I finally accepted that I needed to find healthier ways to cope with stress and social anxiety.

These days, I see a lot more information out there about how, specifically, alcohol can affect you negatively on a physical level. A lot more communication about what the science says. Facts to consider rather than social mores and finger-wagging.

There's also a lot more communication about mental health, psychology, trauma, and adverse childhood experiences (one of which is growing up with an alcoholic parent ... "functional" alcoholics are probably not excepted). That information has helped me examine the roots of my own excessive drinking and helped me understand the effect it may have been having on my kids.

I'm also getting old. I don't feel that buzzed or relaxed anymore with 1-2 glasses of wine. I'd have to get through at least half a bottle to start feeling a bit tipsy. But the hangovers are still there the next day, and are much worse, like I drank twice the amount I actually did.

I don’t think it is that much of an age thing as so many different ages are either not drinking alcohol, or have cut down on consumption.

A lot of youngsters are not even trying alcohol, women in perimenopuse find that they are no longer able to tolerate alcohol, a lot of elderly of both sexes no longer drink. Stage of life plays a role (for example not drinking during pregnancy) and whilst that can be age related to a certain extent (childbearing age which covers a very large age range) there are other factors that some into play such as health, medication, affordability and attitude.

Lots of our friends have gone completely tee-total in recent years.
It's not something I feel I'll ever want/need to do, as I find moderation easy and am happy having a large glass of red on a Thurs/Fri/Sat, but not through the rest of the week. I never drink enough to feel rough the next day either.
Our friends are avoiding alcohol:

• because of health scares directly linked to lifestyle
• to keep slim
• to not disrupt fitness regimes or a training programme for a specific event
• to avoid displaying toxic behaviour that they are ashamed of the next day
• because they have young kids and cant face feeling under par
• to reduce anxiety.

Reflecting back, our generation (late 30s - 45 ish) were the ultimate binge drinkers as teens and 20-somethings (me included). I think some people actually feel quite physically and mentally damaged by some of their past behaviour and want to put things right while they can.

When I went to uni in the 1990s there was one las who didn't drink in our halls. It was only when he said his father was an alcoholic that we all nodded and accepted it. Even then we said stuff like "just because he was doesn't mean you will be". I can't remember his name but this was such a shock to me as never met a non drinker before. Now my son is going to uni and he barely drinks and half his friends don't either. Times they are a changing.

I like it but makes me feel horrible. Even one or two so occasionally have it now x

My parents were teetotal as are most of my siblings (6!) And I. I also have 3DC aged 28,19&16. The two who are over eighteen would only drink maybe a couple of times a year on a work's night out. DD16 says she won't ever drink because it's mad to waste money on a depressant to feel awful the next day. Amongst DC's friends the binge drinking alcohol on a weekend that I saw in my youth seems to have disappeared. They'd much rather go away for the weekend than spend it on booze.

It's an age thing - hangovers get much worse, anxiety, depression and insomnia.

We were the ultimate binge-drinking generation.

I was in a nightclub the other weekend (work-do gone wrong!) in a popular night economy area. We weren't drunk but even more interestingly the young clobbers weren't pissed of drinking either. The area is known for drugs, but I didn't think that was happening either (I'm familiar with the signs) the youngsters were just dancing, chatting, laughing, flirting and an occasional selfie. Very different from when I was that age when getting smashed was the only reason to go out.

My 18 year old son is at uni and they still appear to have a drink culture. He barely drank before uni - the occasional can of cider - but he and his coursemates go out on regular "seshes". His flatmates appear to do weed more. Son has probably tried weed but doesn't smoke - none of them do - so prefers alcohol as his social grease.

I have cut down considerably as well. I now maybe have a nice glass of wine with dinner and previously would carry on drinking the bottle for the evening, now I just like one glass and move on to water. I just find 1 glass enough . I know my adult DS don't drink hardly at all . It's seems to be going out of fashion

We had loads of booze gin, vodka etc that had been given to us, sitting in a cupboard and we poured it down the sink a few weeks ago. I used to love going out on the lash regularly but have just gone off it. I probably drink less than 5 times a year, can't stand the hangovers. DH has quite a substantial single malt collection but that is a sort of hobby for him and he only has a glass a couple of times a month, the stuff is too expensive to swig like water.

As for myself - I find wine quite addicting and am having to generally avoid it or I will polish off 2/3 bottle easily enough. My Fitbit tells me this then increases my resting heart rate considerably overnight. On a Friday or Saturday I will have a couple of gin and tonics, and try to save wine for a meal out where I can share a bottle with a friend.

I absolutely loved a cold glass of white wine in the evening after a hard day. It was like a ritual. Always one or two small glasses, just whilst I’m cooking, most nights. I’ve almost never been drunk in my life but this was something I was really attached to. Then I turned 40 and I realised that the intense hormonal swings, insomnia and horrible menstrual migraines I’ve been having were probably, in part, due to alcohol. So I stopped and my health has massively improved. I won’t lie and say I don’t really miss it though. I loathe lagers and beers and non-alcoholic wine is gross so I just drink tonic water now. My friends are still drinkers - I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy a glass of wine but they are accepting of my choice. I haven’t even dared to tell my mother though. I think she’d disown me! I find it’s our parents generation 60+ who now drink the most (at least on a regular basis). Us millennials are probably still the rulers of the binge drinking but under 30? I’m not so sure. All the under 30s I know do drink but in much more moderation did when we were young.

Just being pedantic here but you obviously dont know many dogs.

Im mid 40's. I rarely drink now. I looked around at my mates one evening and thought we had all turned into a group of lushes that i would have laughed at in my 20's. I haven't touched it since.

For me, it was all the wine o clock memes and talkjng about gin and prosecco that did it. So much more to life.

I'm not teetotal so would have a glass to toast a celebration for example but i haven't had anything at all since early november and would nver have more than 2 glasses now.

Given how much revenue comes from alcohol duty, decreasing consumption (like fewer people smoking and costing more living longer) will be a challenge for the next few governments.

Young people drink less. I drink and don't get hangovers and so don't feel the need to give up. Some friends are teetotal, no one even cares. Plenty of my friends drink, but if we go out and some don't fancy it, not a big issue.

I think there's a few factors at play with it.
One is that as we get older, we can't tolerate it in volumes that we could when we were younger.
The second is the price of it nowadays, which may be why it's on the decline amongst the youngsters.
I bought alcohol last weekend in the supermarket and two bottles of spirits, three slabs of lager and two cases of coca cola came to £91.
I dread to think what it would have cost in a pub.

Not in this house. I enjoy a drink but only a few units a week.

Hurray Good news

Some people are finally realising you don't have to be pissed out of your mind to have a good time
You can have a good time without getting totally bladdered with your mates

It's being around good company makes a good time

That's why being with crap company like I have experienced all too often, can results in Jeremy mckaryle TV series drama types of drama
as Alchol just enhances the instigators of toxic dramas ect,
they can then say confidently and conviently and manipulative ways
Oh it's only the drink Alchol talking it's not really

It a lie bullshit that is
As Alchol is a lubricant truth teller as it reveals what someone really thinks /or is like under the surface/the facade the social mask that they were have been using to hide who they really are

Pubs establishments and other places that sell alchol need to wise up and realise they need to up the game and sell more Alchool free range of drinks /and Low Achol range drinks 🍸 as there are people like myself have certain health issues in which need to have certain 💊 medication that we are advised not to drink any alchol or limit our alchol intake according to doctor instructions

Pub establishments ect are missing a trick =more profit makes total sense both ways, however buy not catering to other clientèle punters needs like this ,

And only providing token supply drinks for punters /clientèle like myself like soft drinks Coke ect,
Is such a really limited range of drinks out there for us it's rare to come across alchol free fun health kick cocktails drinks similar to smoothies drink ect that cater to us,
like I once quite recently came across in a pub cafe popular in the city I went to

Why is that then?
Is it just Lack of imagination and creativity drink wise or I can't be Arsed to attitude combination too?
Come on pub establishments landlords /landlady's ect
Get your Act together !

The low alcohol options or no alcohol are very poor. Having easily done a dry January for the last 10 years, I've searched for a good low alcohol, no alcohol wine, a nice red wine or a nice dry crisp white and the consensus is that there is simply isn't one.

Most of the low alcohol, most of the non alcoholic options are too sweet and vile tasting. Easy for me because I normally drink a wine, or a G&T, so drinking just a tonic is easy. I like it.

But for most, the choice is abysmal.

Yes people are realising it’s mmm the negatives more and more. I think that’s a good thing.

I massively cut down after a health scare 6 months ago having been a daily drinker for years. I'm Still having a drink a few times a week but can't deny that even a small amount makes me feel shit now.

I had a large glass of wine last night, fell asleep on the sofa until 2am and woke up dehydrated and hungover. Utterly pointless.

I want to give it up completely but clearly still have a dependency.

I track using an app which I find very useful as it holds me accountable!

There’s also the cost factor

if I go out with friends, there’s the cab fare each way (£20 x 2) as well as the price of alcohol

if I don’t drink, I drive myself and just have soft drinks costing a few pounds each