Who’d have thought that when left to our own devices more of us than ever are choosing to drink low alcohol or non alcoholic drinks rather than their boozy alternatives, and it’s led by one group of people in particular.
It was good to hear from the research team at Lumina Intelligence that the much talked about 'Millennials' (in other words, today’s 25-40 year olds) have reduced their alcohol consumption during the latest lockdowns. It's been reported that 46% of millennials are openly admitting to consuming less alcohol than before.
It’s predicted that Gen Z are taking this one step further. Nicknamed the ‘Generation of Sobriety’ - those who have ‘come of age’ during the pandemic are swapping nights out for nights in with board game marathons and opting for juice crawls and silent discos for other forms of entertainment. In total it’s estimated that 23% of 18-24 year olds are teetotal.
Why are young people choosing to drink less alcohol?
1. Physical health
The growing health and wellness movement means young people are much more concerned with their health than previous generations. In fact, a recent survey showed ‘health’ as the number one reason young people are drinking less.
Alcohol consumption can lead to severe medical conditions such as heart disease, liver disease etc but also, on a more superficial level, can simply contribute to weight gain and bad skin.
Millennials are taking their hangovers seriously, putting it under the microscope and considering whether it’s actually benefiting them drinking to the point of excess.
2. Cost
Increased pressure on living costs means young people are feeling the pinch in their pockets and regular alcohol consumption for many of them simply isn’t an option right now. Instead of splurging on an alcoholic drink, they can spend half the money on a non-alcoholic alternative.
It’s never been easier to be a teetotaler or mindful drinker. With the no and low alcohol category drinks market booming, and huge demand from consumers, bars and restaurants are increasingly catering for the sober-curious amongst their patrons.
3. Mental health
Many of us will feel depressed, low or anxious after drinking and sometimes even during drinking. With the Millennial and Gen Z population already suffering with anxiety and stress, even before Covid, they are taking the advice from professionals when it comes to mental health management and simply choosing to not drink or to drink less.
4. Social
The impact of movements like Dry January have given young people a taste of giving up the drink and many of them have found they actually enjoyed the profound difference it made to how they felt and how their bodies benefitted. People started exploring other forms of social activities that weren’t centred on drinking and found they could have just as much fun without pairing it with a glass of wine or a G&T.
5. Work
Since the pandemic, after work drinks or the Friday afternoon drinks trolley that have become such a feature of the ‘modern workplace’, were no longer an option. While some companies would send out drinks ’ hampers to their employees on occasion, on the whole the social aspect of workplace drinking was eradicated.
Many workplaces are becoming more conscious of avoiding over promoting alcohol consumption as part of their attraction or staff perks, reducing the peer pressure that comes along with this.
What does this mean to Mavrik HQ?
It’s great news to the likes of us at Mavrik Drinks who simply want to give consumers the option to consume some of their favourite, delicious alcoholic cocktails – whilst not worrying about any after-effects and still being able to drive home after a night out at their favourite local pub.
Now we – and you – simply have to badger those bars and pubs to stock a full range of low/non-alcoholic drinks so we can all be happy. If you would be interested in stocking Mavrik at your workplace, reach out to us via our Trade page.
What are our alternatives to alcoholic drinks?
If you’re a cocktail drinker but want to avoid all the consequences of being a cocktail drinker we have the perfect swaps for you:
Exchange your:
If you're wanting to explore low or no alcohol drinks then have a browse of the Mavrik range and I can assure you we will not disappoint. Perhaps you'll be joining the mindful drinking trend too?