Sober as a college student? Why Gen Z shrugs at alcohol.
The menu at Binge Bar in Washington lists drinks like a Timeless Old Fashioned, Soul Spiced Apple Cider Mimosa, and Green Apple Mule. But there’s a twist: Everything is zero proof. It’s the area’s first (and only) alcohol-free bar, joining cities like Austin, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Omaha, Nebraska.
The average number of drinks consumed by Americans has been declining for more than a decade from 4.8 drinks per week in 2009 to 3.6 in 2021. The trend is being driven by younger adults, with the number of Gen Z and millennials who reported drinking less – or not at all – increasing over the past several years.
Members of Gen Z are showing less interest in alcohol as a symbolic marker of adulthood
