‘I know my limit’: how Generation Z became Britain’s ‘down-to-earth-curious’ generation

a A recent World Health Organization (WHO) study found that Britain has the worst child alcohol consumption in the world – with more than half of children in England, Scotland and Wales having drunk alcohol by the age of 13.

Yet this is accompanied by a growing movement towards sobriety among young people. Alcohol education charity Drinkaware discovered that as of 2021Young adults were the most likely to not drink alcohol at 28%, while older adults were the least likely at 15%.

Glyn Preston, 24, Llanidloes

Preston drank occasionally during college. “It was Covid, so there were a lot of nights where we were trying to be careful who we hung out with,” he says.

‘I drank at my house, and sometimes alone in the evening. It was easy to use alcohol to have a few laughs (with roommates). I think there is a big culture of binge drinking in universities in Britain.”

Preston, who had his first alcoholic drink around the age of 13, now enjoys social drinking and says he has a “healthy relationship” with alcohol.

“I probably drink about three times a week – all in the pub, and not at home unless I’m inviting people over for dinner. I generally drink pale ale, craft beers or Guinness. But I do drink wine every now and then.”

Since leaving university in Birmingham, Preston has moved back to his home town of Llanidloes in mid Wales. Not only has he gotten older and started working full-time, but he also attributes his changing social and drinking habits to the city’s multi-generational demographics. He enjoys pleasant conversations with people while enjoying a drink. “It’s a small community… the pub is often a social centre,” he explains.

Niamh Donnelly, 21, Newcastle

Donnelly describes herself as ‘down-to-earth-curious’ and has drunk less during her studies.

“I’ve stopped drinking with the intention of getting drunk and can enjoy a casual drink without feeling the need to go overboard,” she says.

Donnelly, who had her first alcoholic drink at the age of 14, has had a few nights out where she hasn’t drunk at all or had two or three drinks and wasn’t drunk. “I surprised myself by having a really good time,” she says.

It took time to discover her own boundaries and relationship with drinking. “It’s taken me a few years to get to this point and I’ve found it difficult in the past, especially in my first year at university.

“It took me some time to recognize my limits and accept the drinking culture. Sometimes I felt like I wasn’t getting the most out of my college experience if I didn’t go out and drink at least three to four times a week.

“Now that I’ve found a balance that works for me and I know my limits, I have much more fun times and don’t wake up with crippling hangovers and anxiety.”

Annie Davies, 25, Birmingham

Davies has been sober since late November 2022. She knew her party-loving lifestyle was “unsustainable” for months before making the decision to quit drinking. “I knew drinking was affecting my mental health, but I adopted that lifestyle almost as a personality trait,” she explains.

She said that before she got sober, she drank several nights a week. “I was always the last to go out and stayed with strangers when my group of friends went home.

“I didn’t really know who I was without it and I was afraid to let that go. One day I was at a gig in a pub, I wasn’t drinking… the band I was seeing had done a lot of drugs – I felt so triggered I had to leave. (When I woke up for) hangover-free work and felt like I could actually process my emotions because I was feeling triggered, I told myself, ‘I’m going to stop drinking’ and that was it.

Davies makes videos on TikTok about being sober. She shares videos of trips to pubs and bars selling non-alcoholic options, and ideas for alternative days and evenings that don’t revolve around drinking.

She says her TikTok account “started as mainly a sense of responsibility, but now I try to share the positives of sobriety, that it doesn’t mean you’re boring.”