The drive to drink has hit a speed bump.
Gen Z, meaning the current generation of teens and twenty-somethings, drink less than those who went before them. Some younger Millennials are in on the trend, too. A study by the Cleveland Clinic conducted in 2018 found that 30% of young adults not in college did not drink beer, wine, or spirits, up from 24% in 2002.
A variety of factors are to blame — or thank, depending on who you ask — for the decline. Money, time, family, and work are among them, along with Gen Z’s health-consciousness. Instead, many spend their hours scrolling TikTok learning about the newest health trend or food said to help you “sleep better” or “live longer” — while enjoying non-alcoholic or THC drinks.
The Independent talked to 10 young people about why they try to avoid booze — and their answers may surprise you.
“I don’t need alcohol to have a good time.”
- Name: Drake Castonguay
- Age: 21
- Hometown: West Islip, New York
- Current Profession: Nursing student
Castonguay has never consumed alcohol, though it’s not for lack of opportunity. He’s simply never felt interested. “When I go out with friends, I don’t need alcohol to have a good time,” he says.
He believes drinking has the “bandwagon effect,” meaning people seeing others imbibing are more likely to follow suit. Neither of his parents drink — although plenty of others around him do.
“My philosophy is if I never start, I’ll never have to worry about stopping,” Castonguay says. “Alcohol is an expensive habit and can influence your decision-making skills. I enjoy having full control over my thoughts and actions; I’m too nervous to artificially alter my perception/attitudes.”
“I lost 85 pounds since adopting this lifestyle of less drinking.”
- Name: Preston Moore
- Age: 26
- Hometown: Amarillo, Texas
- Current profession: Sports Anchor
Drinking is no longer part of Moore’s daily life. He’ll opt for a social drink in larger groups of people, but refrain from partaking alone or in an intimate setting.
After drinking “heavily” throughout college, he changed his habits about a year ago.
“I lost 85 pounds since adopting this lifestyle of less drinking,” he shared.
Moore now typically opts for a vodka-cranberry, a departure from his previous go to: beer. But he has one exception to his newfound set of rules: “I only drink [beer] when I'm at a live sporting event, or when the Dallas Cowboys are playing. We Cowboys fans need some stress relief!”
“I think my taste buds changed.”
- Name: Emily Zicchi
- Age: 30
- Hometown: Hauppauge, New York
- Current profession: Singer/Entertainer
Zicchi, a mom-of-two, says her interest in drinking changed after having her son four years ago. “Not only did the idea of being hung over or unable to care for or breastfeed my son sound horrible to me, but I actually found it hard to finish a drink despite all of these things. I think my taste buds changed.”
Despite working as a singer in environments teeming with alcohol, Zicchi says drinking culture and drunk people don’t bother her at all. And while she can’t quite wrap her head around how people drink to the point of hangovers every weekend — “I don’t think there’s anything worse,” she said — there’s another factor at play, too: money.
“The price of a drink is sometimes the same price as your meal at a restaurant,” she says. “That’s nuts to me.”
“Everyone has been very respectful.”
- Name: Amy Sapp
- Age: 29
- Hometown: Pensacola, Florida
- Current profession: director of programming at a concert venue
Sapp, who currently lives in Franklin, Tennessee, stopped drinking in 2022 after suddenly experiencing allergic reactions and anaphylaxis to alcohol. But a 2023 Hereditary Alpha Tryptasemia (HaTs) diagnosis explained the reactions.
“I have yet to meet someone who has a bad reaction to me when I simply explain that I can't drink anymore due to anaphylaxis risks,” Sapp shared. “Everyone has been very respectful in my life of my decision to stop drinking.”
“Over time, I realized that it just dimmed all of my sensations.”
- Name: Allie Rubinowitz
- Age: 29
- Hometown: White Plains, New York
- Current profession: Higher Education
Rubinowitz drank throughout college and the pandemic, relying on it in social situations.
“I've always been nervous to talk to people in large gatherings, so alcohol was my crutch to get me over my fears,” Rubinowitz says.
But when the hangovers only started getting worse, Rubinowitz knew it was time to make a change. She stopped drinking with the help of her “extremely supportive and also sober” girlfriend. While it was a shock to some of her family and friends, she’s mostly been met with understanding and openness.
“Over time, I realized that it just dimmed all of my sensations,” Rubinowitz explains. “After being sober for a couple of years, I realized that my memories are much more vivid and I can have as much, if not more, fun drinking a seltzer. It has also forced me to be much more comfortable with myself and be genuinely open with those that I meet.”
“I never want to spend my days hungover ever again.”
- Name: Kaylee Surace
- Age: 26
- Hometown: West Islip, New York
- Current profession: Communications
Born into a family with addiction issues, Surace started drinking as a young teen. Several sobriety stints later — just to prove to herself she could do it — she’s been sober for eight months.
“As I started getting more into fitness, finding my faith, and envisioning who I wanted to become, I realized that I was unable to have a healthy relationship with alcohol,” Surace says. Plus, she realized that drinking culture “sells a false sense of belonging. It often breeds poor decisions, altercations, and drama.”
Now, she says time is the biggest factor in her decision to stay sober. “I never want to spend my days hungover ever again,” she says.
“I don’t feel like I’m doing anything ground-breaking, I’m just not drinking!”
- Name: Ellouise McGonagle
- Age: 30
- Hometown: Gilford, New Hampshire
- Current profession: Nanny
Growing up, McGonagle’s parents didn’t drink. While she was exposed to drinking culture outside of her home, she says “it’s not something I want to do or ever wanted to do.”
“There hasn’t been a point in my life where I have considered maybe I should, or maybe I want to,” she says.
Sobriety doesn’t stop McGonagle from having the most fun of anyone in the room. “Usually I was the one dancing the most and being crazy while they cheered me on,” she says of her friends. “It’s cliche to say but it is true, I never felt the need to drink to be outgoing or carefree. And maybe that’s a big reason why I never started.”
She’s also always been happy to be the designated driver for her friends, taking pride in knowing they got home safely and helping them if they were sick.
“I get a lot of people saying they wish they could be like me. I always tell them it’s funny they say that because I don’t feel like I’m doing anything ground-breaking, I’m just not drinking!”
“I’m glad that it’s not in my life anymore.”
- Name: Zach Bravo
- Age: 28
- Hometown: Queens, New York
- Current profession: Actor
“Drinking alcohol, specifically before 2023, was a vice that did more harm to my mental health than I realized,” Bravo shares. After realizing it was affecting his relationships and himself, he ditched it.
“I’m glad that it’s not in my life anymore,” he says.
Two-and-a-half years sober, Bravo now has greater mental clarity and stamina — two crucial components of his current job as a swing on the Hamilton tour. Now, when he ventures out with his castmates or friends outside of the show, he’ll order a Red Bull or Liquid Death.
“Having company is always the best; making memories with them is better than blacking out,” he says.
“My drinking started to hurt my relationships.”
- Name: Matt Civile
- Age: 27
- Hometown: Mantua, New Jersey
- Current profession: HR Representative
Civile stopped drinking a little over two years ago. A self described “bad drinker,” he “would regularly black out or fall asleep when out with friends.”
“My drinking started to hurt my relationships and I was forgetting who I was without alcohol so I stopped,” Civile explains. “A big smack in the face was when I was caught by my roommate grabbing the rest of my white wine I didn’t finish the night before at 9:30 a.m. from the fridge. I called it breakfast wine.”
He said the first six months after giving up drinking were especially difficult, and he “couldn’t go to bars or be around drunk people.” He described himself at that time as being “partly jealous, partly irritated.”
Now, he’s saving money and no longer putting himself in “risky situations.”
“I have so much more time to exercise or pursue interests now that I’m not tipsy at all times.”
“I never realized how bothered people can be about someone not drinking until I was the person not drinking.”
- Name: Meghan Gratzer
- Age: 30
- Hometown: Queens, New York
- Current profession: Performer
After receiving a breast cancer diagnosis at age 26 and enduring weeks of treatment, Gratzer found that alcohol didn’t agree with her body the way it had before. “My body became way more sensitive to it,” she says. “The hangover symptoms reminded me so much of my chemo symptoms that it never seemed ‘worth it.’”
She doesn’t mind being around alcohol and drinkers, but she does take issue with people trying to convince her to join them. “Post-chemo, I struggled to say I wasn’t drinking because it often became a question of ‘why?’” she explained. “It made me start to avoid social events that involved alcohol.” But that can be difficult as a performer who is constantly meeting new people and spending lots of time with them.
“I never realized how bothered people can be about someone not drinking until I was the person not drinking,” she said. “It’s something I’ve been working on the last year or so, to just own if I want alcohol to be involved in my night or not, and feeling confident enough in myself to be the sober one in the room.”
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