Any movie about teenagers or college students is practically guaranteed to have one trope: drinking, and lots of it. This idea that young people want to get drunk has been a societal certainty for decades. But this might no longer be a reality for today’s young adults.
“I think that the media and movies have definitely played up how many people drink,” says Francesca Gervase, 19, who attends college in North Carolina and has actively chosen not to drink at school. “If I think back to the media, especially from a decade ago, what comes to mind are a lot of keg stands, red solo cups, beer pong, and that kind of thing. While I do think a lot of those things are still present and take place, I don’t think it’s as prevalent as the media made it out to be.”
Tyler Richardson, a 21-year-old college student in Pennsylvania, agrees that the stereotype that young people drink heavily is “outdated.” “Like, I’ve never seen that stereotypical break into the parents’ liquor cabinet or hazing-type behavior, but I’ve heard of other people who have, so I feel like stuff like that will obviously happen just maybe less often than people think,” he says.
“I don’t want to seem like the ‘Debby downer’ of the group, but I just don’t feel like drinking every weekend.”
Ishaan Teja, 21, also thinks that drinking culture is more “tame” than it seems to have been among older generations. However, the New York college student adds that it’s rare for him to meet a young adult under 21 who hasn’t drank alcohol – something he usually does with his friends two to three times per week.
Although Gen Z represents a wide variety of experiences when it comes to drinking, several studies published over the last few years point to an overall decrease in drinking among teens and young adults. The 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), for example, found that alcohol use over the past 30 days by people ages 12 to 20 had decreased by 47.4 percent since 2002. Then, there’s the 2020 study published in JAMA Pediatrics looking at 18- to 22-year-olds, which found that the number of college students refraining from drinking any alcohol increased from 20 percent in 2002 to 28 percent in 2018. Non-college students in that age range who chose not to drink rose from 23.6 percent to 29.9 percent over the same period.
These are just two examples of the growing body of research showing one thing: “Drinking seems to have lost some of its appeal,” says Leela R. Magavi, MD, a psychiatrist and regional medical director at Community Psychiatry in Newport Beach, CA. Ernesto Lira de la Rosa, PhD, a psychologist and Hope for Depression Research Foundation media advisor, has also noticed that members of Gen Z typically report lower rates of drinking alcohol or binge-drinking than is generally associated with their age group.
Gen Zers say there are several factors at play – from more open discussions around mental health to social media spreading awareness of alcohol’s drawbacks. And experts say this change in attitudes and habits has vast implications; it could alter rates of substance use disorder and trickle down to future generations.
The degree of pressure young people feel to drink is varied. Take Texas college student Karly Sienna Adams, 20, who used to drink alcohol heavily every Friday and Saturday but, over the last semester, has cut down to drinking at most once a month due to health reasons. Adams has found that many of her friends get upset when she says no to drinking.
“I do feel slight pressure from my peers to drink, as most fun activities involve drinking,” she says. “I don’t want to seem like the ‘Debby downer’ of the group, but I just don’t feel like drinking every weekend.”
Gervase, meanwhile, only feels a slight pressure to drink, which she attributes, in part, to not going to frat parties or other spaces where the pressure might increase. There have been times that she’s mentioned not drinking to people and received openly confused faces, she says. But those people don’t typically attempt to change her mind.
Despite some persistent cultural pressures around drinking, Lira de la Rosa and other experts have seen that young people are more likely to stick to their decisions rather than give in – more so than previous generations. They point to teens being more mindful of peer pressure and having more confidence to say no without explaining themselves.
As Saba Harouni Lurie, LMFT, ATR-BC, the owner and founder of Take Root Therapy, says: “When they do feel pressure to drink, in my experience, they are able to question it and consider what feels right or best for them.”
There’s not one clear cause for reductions in drinking, but mental health professionals theorize that a few factors might be at the root of it. “Researchers are considering several variables, including more anxiety about the future, social media use, more parental care and engagement, and how society has been conceptualizing alcohol use,” Lurie explains. She notes that alcohol isn’t the only area with a downturn for teens, pointing to sex, driving, and leaving home as other areas that young people are pursuing at an older age.
Looking specifically at alcohol, the reduction might be in part due to a greater awareness of its negative impact, says Magavi. To this end, Teja notes that most students he knows attended seminars about safe drinking practices before starting college and that popular drinking hubs like fraternities appear to have greater limitations on them than in the past. Gervase has also seen TikTok and YouTube videos encouraging incoming first-year college students to get drunk at home or with friends at least once before school starts to be better prepared and know their limits. In general, social media has created a space for even more open conversations about drinking (or choosing to abstain) than previous generations had.
Lira de la Rosa points to increases in alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic as another potential factor. Young people could have seen the negative consequences of alcohol on the adults in their lives more acutely and become less inclined to drink it. He also points out that where young people socialize has also changed, with many of their interactions happening online instead of in person, which provides fewer organic opportunities for them to drink together. Although Magavi adds that individuals are also often choosing marijuana or nicotine over alcohol.
“Teens seem more savvy about what they’re experiencing and if they need support.”
Then there’s a new, more open understanding many young people have of themselves and their peers. “In my experience with teens, there is greater acceptance of different lifestyle choices and ways of approaching things,” Lurie says. “There is also a greater understanding of mental health needs and challenges, and either through social media use or society in general, teens seem more savvy about what they’re experiencing and if they need support. This may mean there’s less need to self-medicate.” But Lurie has also worked with teens who drink alcohol and take other substances to, as she describes it, “cope throughout their adolescence.”
Of course, reduced drinking can be mentally and physically beneficial. At the same time, Lurie explains that while the benefits are obvious, there could be drawbacks to some of the social shifts at play, pointing out that communicating mostly through social media can lead to isolation or loneliness. Magavi attributes more time spent on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic to another reason adolescents she works with have expressed less interest in drinking: fear of gaining weight. She believes this additional time spent online has contributed to a fixation on body image and that some young people might be fixating on ways to limit weight gain, such as drinking less or no alcohol.
Overall, though, mental health professionals and young people agree that the movement away from heavy drinking and peer pressure is a good thing. Magavi calls this cultural shift a “welcomed transition” that she hopes remains.
Even when young people do drink, the hope is that they will continue to be more open and self-aware. “I think it’s all about moderation and listening to your body,” Adams says. “As long as you prioritize your health and responsibilities, drinking could be a positive experience.”
Sarah Fielding is an acclaimed journalist with seven years of experience covering mental health, social issues, and tech for publications such as PS, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Insider, and Engadget. She’s also a cofounder of Empire Coven, a space highlighting trailblazing women across the United States.
