Sobriety amongst young people is on the rise, with one in five 18 to 34 year olds choosing not to drink, a new Drinkaware report shows.
According to experts, this age group has been drinking less since the early 2000’s, and the past year saw a significant drop in binge drinking.
This comes as challenges like Dry January have spiked in popularity, encouraging many young drinkers to explore a sober lifestyle.
Recent graduate Eve McCabe, 21, said: “After doing dry January last year, I became a lot more aware of my relationship to alcohol in social situations, and realised that for a long time I used it to feel more confident at parties.”
“Now I have a drink because I want one, not because I feel I need one – and from speaking to other people my age it seems that so many people feel the same way.”
Laura M Fenton, a research associate who worked on the University of Sheffield’s Youth Drinking in Decline study, said alcohol has become less ritualised for young people, many of whom only drink at special occasions.
According to Fenton, this reflects an overall move from risk management to risk avoidance as young people feel they have to be more responsible.
She said: “Young people are worrying about injury, worrying about assault, worrying about being taken advantage of by strangers – they’re really concerned about their personal safety.
“If something goes wrong in their lives, they can’t rely on the state in the way you could 20 to 30 years ago, it’s on their own back.”
Whereas “weekend drunkenness” used to be a part of people’s routines, students and young professionals are now being offered alternative activities.
Many feel drinking alcohol doesn’t align with their lifestyle choices, or has a negative impact on their mental health, and are instead opting to explore hobbies they find more fulfilling.
Postgraduate student Mayra Nassef, 23, said: “I like to experience every moment fully, and be conscious of what I’m receiving and putting out into the world.
“I think people are starting to realise this, and maybe notice that drinking is taking away from social situations more than it is giving, and it just makes you feel awful afterwards.”
To cater for this fast-growing sober community, alcohol-free bars have popped up across the country, many in the centre of London’s bustling nightlife scene.
Co-owners of alcohol-free metal bar Raven Records, Ben Dean and Chloe Marlow, wanted to create a social space for sober metal lovers.
Dean said: “Sobriety can be quite isolating if you’re in the alternative scene, or have a different way of thinking to other people.”
A recovering alcoholic, Dean emphasised how the ritual of drinking can help foster community, but said drinks should be enjoyed for their flavours rather than their effect.
Marlow said although the idea was met with a certain degree of skepticism from metal lovers, the bar is a hub for bands on tour, young people who are sober-curious, and older members of the community who’ve decided to stop drinking.
The Camden-based bar also offers Satanic Recovery sessions inspired by Dean’s secular 12 step recovery programme, heavy metal therapy, and slam poetry meets.
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