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

[OptimismvsRealism]

I mean I know some people have always not really liked it but why as a generation do they feel differently about it?

(Come to mind because I've decided to go sober for a few weeks and it's NO FUN and I want to know their secret).

Are there any drinks made of weed or THC infused etc?

Yes: but in the UK at least, the dilutions are so minuscule that you’d need to drink litres and litres before you actually got a buzz. In countries / US states where weed has been legalized you can get drinks and gels which would have an effect.

Which is more reason to limit it as much as we can

its like saying everything is bad and can cause cancer so why not smoke or eat whatever junk

alcohol is very addicting and has destroyed millions of people’s lives and kills millions every year e.g drunk drivers alone

many of us can’t go without pcs, mobiles, because of work etc but alcohol is not essential

a bit of wine is fine if you choose, but hate how it’s meant to be essential and people look at you crazy if you don’t

Surely it's something to celebrate, isn't it? Looking back to the 1990s, when I was a teenager, all people ever talked about was alcohol and how drunk they'd got. Our small market town was a no-go zone on a Friday and Saturday night. I remember going into town once with an American friend and feeling so ashamed. Everywhere you looked there were groups of boys shouting and fighting, or girls urinating down drains or being sick in the gutter – all thanks to alcohol. It was embarrassing.

I'd definitely nominate alcohol as the most overrated thing in the world. As drugs go, it's rubbish. Most people seem to become either sad or aggressive. Plus you feel wretched all the next day. And it's really, really bad for you – both physically and mentally. Total waste of money.

Come on now. Even butterflies enjoy a beer.

Definitely think that social media plays a part in this.

You can’t go out and get smashed these days without people filming you and uploading on social media. The mornings after my uni nights out were spent cringing at all the Snapchat stories.

Also think people try to get the best out of their weekends so don’t want to spend them hanging.

I don’t enjoy alcohol because I just don’t like the taste of it.

I listened to a podcast on this recently. Alcohol consumption is in decline in most 'Western' countries, but the opposite is true in much of the developing world.

The reasons suggested were that young people in 'Western' countries now feel under pressure to do 'worthy' stuff such as volunteering or part time work at weekends, and don't 'tune out' at weekends the way previous generations might have done. Socialising is also a bit more fractured than it used to be, with fewer 'big nights out' and more online 'socialising'. So I guess it's a good news bad news sort of thing.

I think this is a huge part of it.

They could be filmed at any moment and made fun of. So they don't drink nearly as much as my gen did before mobile phones were everywhere.

There is also the social pressure on looking your best. And it's expensive! Life is so expensive. The teens I know would rather spend their money on other things than booze.

I agree- and sure, alcohol is legal but it is still a drug. Its a drug that alters your brain chemistry.

My DS simply just doesn't like the taste of alcohol. He does go to pub with friends every now and then, for a few bottle of cider, which is the only alcohol drink he can tolerant.

I would rather she had alcohol supervised than getting slaughtered in a park because she wasn't allowed to have a drink and rebelled. She's a good kid. She's being taught to respect alcohol.

Even if it meant it was damaging her brain / health?
But anyway it's a free country, your child your life.

@Horsemum40 no she's not. You're not teaching her to drink safely. You're just teaching her to drink, as if it's an essential part of adult life. It's not.

I know many teens around the 17-19 year age group. Those who were given alcohol by parents early and whose parents also drink daily/frequently are the big drinkers now. And struggling more with life in general, keeping up with uni or keeping up with shift work.

Those who weren't modelled drinking, now mostly have a bit but not much and follow healthier lifestyles. The "park" days are gone - for most kids round here anyway, they now socialise online, in cafes or gyms. It's not the 80/90s of lying pissed in a field - that is seen as "total cringe" now!