Yes, Gen Z drinks less than previous generations did at the same age, but the picture is more complicated than the headlines suggest. While younger teens and early-twenties adults report lower rates of regular drinking, new research indicates that binge drinking and substance use climb significantly as Gen Z members move through their twenties, raising questions about whether this generation is truly rewriting drinking culture or simply delaying it.
What the Numbers Actually Show
Among full-time college students ages 18 to 25, 29.3% reported binge drinking in the past month, according to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. That figure is lower than the rates recorded for Millennials and Gen X at the same age, which historically hovered closer to 40%. The trend is real: fewer young people are drinking regularly, and fewer are starting in high school.
But a 2026 report from University College London complicates the narrative. Tracking the same group of Gen Z individuals over time, researchers found that binge drinking at age 23 was 15 percentage points higher than it had been when those same people were 17 (68% versus 53%). Lead author Dr. Aase Villadsen noted that “recent reports have suggested that young people are increasingly turning their backs on drinking alcohol compared to earlier born generations. However, our new study appears to show that this might not be the case for some members of gen Z as they reach their early 20s.” In other words, Gen Z may be starting later rather than drinking less overall.
Why Many in Gen Z Choose Not to Drink
Several forces are pulling young people away from alcohol, and they reinforce each other. Mental health awareness is the most commonly cited factor. Depression and anxiety are discussed far more openly now than even a decade ago, and there’s a growing understanding that alcohol, as a depressant, tends to make those conditions worse rather than better. For a generation that grew up normalizing therapy and emotional vocabulary, reaching for a drink after a bad day carries less appeal.
Health consciousness plays a role too. The “clean living” movement popular among Gen Z treats the body as something to optimize, not punish. That mindset extends from food choices to fitness routines to what goes into a glass on a Friday night. Cost is another practical barrier: the price of a night out has risen sharply, and younger adults facing student debt and high rent are more selective about where their money goes. The post-COVID social landscape also matters. Many in Gen Z built their social lives during lockdowns, and the habits they formed don’t always revolve around bars or clubs.
The Social Media Factor
Previous generations socialized primarily in physical spaces like bars, house parties, and clubs, where drinking was baked into the activity. Gen Z increasingly socializes through social media, which serves as a primary method of connection rather than a supplement to in-person gatherings. When your social life doesn’t require a venue that serves alcohol, the default pressure to drink drops considerably.
There’s also the awareness that phones are always recording. Research from Georgia Southern University found that Gen Z adults are more conscious of the consequences of their actions than previous generations, partly because of social media, partly because of parental guidance, and partly because of greater access to information. Concerns about embarrassment, loss of control, and social repercussions all rank among the reasons younger people give for limiting alcohol. When a drunken moment can become a viral video or a screenshot that never disappears, the risk calculation changes.
Substance Use Isn’t Necessarily Declining
One of the most important caveats in this conversation is that drinking less doesn’t mean using less. The UCL study found that half of Gen Z 23-year-olds had used cannabis, and a third had tried harder drugs like cocaine, ketamine, or ecstasy. Cannabis use jumped 18 percentage points between ages 17 and 23 in the cohort studied. Use of harder drugs also increased substantially over that same window.
This suggests that for some portion of Gen Z, the shift isn’t toward sobriety but toward different substances. Cannabis in particular has become more socially acceptable, more widely legal, and more accessible through dispensaries and delivery services. It fits neatly into the at-home, lower-key socializing that defines much of Gen Z’s lifestyle. Whether this substitution is healthier depends on the individual and the substance, but the “Gen Z doesn’t party” narrative oversimplifies what’s actually happening.
What Taste and Belonging Have to Do With It
Researchers at Brandeis University have explored a less obvious angle: the role of taste and social belonging. Historically, young people learned to like beer and liquor because drinking was a gateway to social acceptance. The drive to fit in was powerful enough to override the fact that most people don’t naturally enjoy the taste of alcohol on first exposure. You drank because everyone else was drinking, and over time your palate adjusted.
That social pressure still exists, but it’s weaker. With more non-alcoholic options available and less stigma around choosing them, young people today may not be pushing past their initial dislike of alcohol the way earlier generations did. The taste experience isn’t being shaped by the same social forces, so fewer people develop the habit in the first place. It’s a subtle but meaningful shift: not a conscious health decision for everyone, but a quiet opt-out made easier by a culture that no longer insists you drink to belong.
The Bottom Line on Gen Z and Alcohol
Gen Z is drinking less in their teens and early twenties compared to previous generations at those ages. The reasons are a mix of mental health awareness, health-conscious lifestyles, financial pressures, social media caution, and shifting social norms. But the decline isn’t as steep or as permanent as it first appears. Binge drinking rises sharply as Gen Z ages into their mid-twenties, and cannabis and other substance use has increased significantly in this cohort. The generation isn’t so much anti-alcohol as it is redefining when, why, and how intoxication fits into their lives.