Why Gen Z May Be Drinking Less Alcohol

Why Gen Z May Be Drinking Less Alcohol: Mental Health, Medication, and the Collapse of In-Person Social Life

Gen Z’s lower alcohol use is real—but the “why” is more complex than a simple wellness trend. A growing body of evidence suggests that worsening mental health, rising psychotropic medication use, and a steep decline in face-to-face socializing may be major forces pushing drinking down—especially because alcohol is, for most people, a social substance.

1) Gen Z reports higher levels of anxiety and depression, known as the “anxious” generation, often during peak “social drinking” years.

Across U.S. data sources, young people show high prevalence of mental illness, including anxiety and depression symptoms. For example, the National Institute of Mental Health reports that young adults (18–25) have the highest prevalence of “any mental illness” compared with older age groups. National Institute of Mental Health

Among adolescents (older Gen Z), the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey highlights substantial ongoing mental health burden in high school populations. CDC+1

How this can reduce alcohol use:

When anxiety is prominent, people may avoid crowded social settings where drinking commonly happens.

Some research suggests anxiety symptoms can be protective against heavy drinking in adolescence (even if that relationship may shift later). ScienceDirect+1

In other words: if social environments feel less accessible—or less tolerable—there’s simply less opportunity and less motivation to drink.

2) Psychotropic medication use has risen in youth and young adults—and alcohol is often discouragedThere’s also evidence that psychotropic medication use increased over time in youth populations, with increases driven by certain medication classes. ScienceDirect+2PMC+2

Why this matters:

Many psychiatric medications come with warnings or strong guidance to avoid alcohol due to side effects (sedation, impaired coordination, mood destabilization). So medication use can function as a real-world “brake” on drinking—especially for people already dealing with anxiety, depression, panic symptoms, or sleep disruption.

3) Social drinking falls when socializing falls—and young people are spending far less time together in person

This may be the biggest structural factor: Americans—especially young people—are spending dramatically less time socializing face-to-face.

The U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory on social connection cites a drop in time spent with friends in person from ~30 hours/month in 2003 to ~10 hours/month in 2020, with the decline starkest among ages 15–24. HHS

This pattern is echoed in broader reporting and analysis showing reduced in-person time with friends and “hanging out” over time. TIME+2

The Survey Center on American Life+2

Mechanism: alcohol is often “attached” to in-person rituals—parties, bars, dinners, concerts, happy hours. When social life moves online or becomes more isolated, the default drinking occasions shrink.

Even national time-use data show fewer people are engaging in socializing and communicating on an average day compared with a decade prior. Bureau of Labor Statistics

4) Lower drinking doesn’t necessarily mean “healthier”—it may reflect distress, avoidance, or disconnection

It’s important to say this clearly: less alcohol can be beneficial for health, but the reason behind lower drinking isn’t always positive.

If reduced alcohol use is partially driven by:

• higher anxiety/depression burden, National Institute of Mental Health+1

• less in-person community, HHS

• and greater medication use, ScienceDirect+1

…then lower drinking may be a symptom of a broader societal and mental health shift, not simply “better choices.”

A Root-Cause Summary

Gen Z may be drinking less because:

• mental health symptoms (anxiety/depression) are high in youth and young adults National Institute of Mental Health+1

• psychotropic prescribing has increased, which often discourages alcohol use ScienceDirect+2Wiley Online Library+2

• in-person socializing has collapsed, and alcohol is largely a social drug HHS+1

Taken together, these forces can reduce both the desire and the opportunity to drink—especially in a generation that is more likely to be navigating mental health strain while living more of life behind screens.