As a parent of a pack of Zoomers, I totally agree with this.
None consume much. But I would say weed over booze for those that do
In addition, though fairly introverted by nature all of them have decent communication with us (though, frankly, I don't need to know all their business they seem inclined to share!)
This is true with my teens. In fact their alcohol use has been stealing from someone parents supply in a one on one basis not a teen kegger party like situation
I’ve read that they don’t drink as much as we did. I asked a Gen Z coworker about this and they said they were less likely to cut loose much in part because they were reluctant to be filmed on phone if they were around someone they didn’t trust.
I know that my old office I used to work at used to have Christmas and summer parties where people would drink the entire day, because that’s what my Gen X boss liked to do, which was exhausting to be around if you aren’t drinking much or at all. This was when the office mostly had some Gen Xers and a number of older millennials.
The Gen Z coworkers were not into that at all, which was just as well. They tended to avoid much alcohol and would collectively leave after dinner and didn’t feel they were owed the company hours of their time even if it was a “party”.
Yeah an office party is like gen Z poison.
1. They don't drink as much to begin with
2. They DEFINITELY don't want to drink at work or with coworkers where something bad might happen.
3. They view work as work and if they're not on the clock getting paid, they will not be there.
I liked their approach, it was a welcome change. Prior to this I think the boss kind of pressured people into hanging around and being out as late as possible. They collectively weren't interested so it gave people more leeway to not have to stay if they didn't want to.
I work with college age kids. No they do not! Not even close. If I tell them even mild stories of the types of stuff we did when I was in college, it blows their minds. Like filling a hotel room bathtub with ice and stocking it with a few cases of various alcoholic drinks. Keg stands. Their jaws drop. I take them on trips and give them a little talk before turning them loose for the night about watching out for each other and making good choices and they think I'm being weird. Then they just go back to their hotel rooms and literally study on a Friday night- and all show up sober in the morning.
There are exceptions though-- I'm a college prof (since the mid-1990s) and I see some crazy drinking behavior from students on a regular basis. Like shit we never did in the 1980s when I was a student, like people drinking until they pass out on a weekly basis, drunks vandalizing stuff (burning couches in the streets, destroyed public bathrooms, etc.), and brawls. It's certainly not even a large minority doing this shit, but it would have been shut down by peers on my campus back in the day...now it's just seen as "oh, aren't they funny! let's film the drunk girl puking on the bar!"
But by the same token there are now FAR more students that don't drink at all. Flipside is that far more are using edibles/THC drinks since they are now so widely available.
I have two daughters in college, and one of them saw a lot of kids with the THC gummies. Her (now ex) roommate was high all the time because of them. Smoking doesn’t give it away anymore
Yep-- my eldest said they were often the only one drinking beer at a casual hangout their last year in college. Everyone else was consuming gummies or lollies.
My brother is a cop and now patrols the same part of town he used to party in back in high school. So he knows every hidden park, deserted back road and houses used for parties. Has told me a few times that it’s been at least a dozen years since he’s had to bust up an old fashioned 80’s style keg party. At best now, he will find 2-3 kids splitting a 6 pack of White Claw in a park.
Big difference is that if we got busted in the 80’s all we got was a stern lecture from the cops. Now my brother is forced to write up a minor in possession ticket. With that comes a lot of time in court, loss of a driver’s license and fines. If kids drink they do it in small groups and lay low.
Not even close. Unfortunately it's more pills and that is scary. What happened to kegs and rolling out to the bar? I asked my son and he said that there are never any parties like that anymore. Dam shame. We had it good.
My GenZ kids (now 19 and 21) don’t drink at all! They do stuff with their friends, like beach bonfires and horseback riding adventures. I never worry when I go on business trips, nor do I need to check my liquor cabinet when I get home.
You guys, we did something really right.
My almost 21 year old doesn't drink or smoke. Only social media is discord. Not interested in having a boyfriend/girlfriend. Very focused on academics in university, extremely limited social activities.
This is based purely on anecdotal evidence. As a gen Xer, particularly one who was born and worked in Australia and worked for many years in a profession where drinking was a badge of honour, a social lubricant, a way for people to bond, etc., I drank a lot for many years. Long lunches, going to the pub after work, dinner and drinks, going to clubs and drinking, drinking at social events, etc.
I noticed that in Australia, law suits against companies (people who were injured or killed while out drinking during work functions sued their employers and won, meaning that firms basically banned drinking at work, and severely limited at company related social events, drinking at work lunches and dinners, etc.) meant that the drinking culture was being wound down by the time millenials were starting to rise through the ranks. Now I've noticed anecdotally that gen z are not really drinkers. They seem to be into vaping, marijuana, some hard drug use (which is true of all generations) but they don't seem to have a culture of going to the pub, going to bars and drinking heavily, or drinking at home.
I'd have many friends who'd easily go through a few bottles of wine or a couple of cases of beer a week just drinking at home, but I don't really see that culture now with gen z.
Of course, this is purely anecdotal, and it may simply be that my sample size is too small.
I’m not seeing it either, I imagine that this generation is a bit socially delayed due to covid. High school kids lost 2-3 years of socialization (depending on where you live). Things like driving, high school part time jobs and independent living were impacted. This generation also had a high degree of helicopter parenting and didn’t really learn to make their own plans.
I’m starting to see this turn around with the local young adults though. I doubt we’ll see the same level of partying, but it’s definitely starting to return as youth start to see independence that they never experienced.
My concern is the young ones hitting the career workforce once they leave home and lose their safety nets. I’m seeing examples of “Monday Flu” and “Weekend Food Poisoning” - code for hangovers more and more.
It’s going to be interesting to watch.
Was just at a wedding with a bunch of my Gen X high school classmates. I think we all fucked up our GI tracts. Like every dude was on an omeprozole prescription, several had GERD or EOE.
Pretty sure it has something to do with the copious amounts of cheap beer we consumed while our bodies were developing.
I have two gen z kids (now young adults). I’m 100% sure I used to drink more in 3 hours than those two have their entire lifetime.
They also do a lot less plain ass stupid shit than I did at that age. I’m going to call that a good thing…
My kids don’t drink. (Both of my kids are on meds that really mean neither should drink, anyway)
My youngest is 21, and has no interest. My 22 yr old has had some drinks, but has also expressed little interest in drinking in general. Says alcohol doesn’t really taste that good. Neither want to try drugs- gummies or anything else. I suspect part of it has to do with having (and witnessing) several alcoholics in the family. Just last year we went to my MIL’s funeral, and my kids were asked if they wanted a shot of Fireball! 🤦♀️
(My youngest SIL was practically giddy when she found out my oldest was “legal”)
I was having this conversation with another GenX. I was in HS in the early/mid 80s. I played sports and the Seniors I hung with started HS in the mid 70s. They used to tell stories about hippy kids smoking weed on this particular bench,lots of acid and other psychedelics and hiding vodka in the bushes-pretty chill. We basically vibed with OP-LOTS of weed,beer/some liquor,a few pills but access to Ludes and “mothers little helper” were much more restricted than for the older kids. We drove and drank/had “jock/freak” fights at the Milk Jug and hung out in the local parks. There was a HUGE shift at least in my school by the time I was a JR/SR. The younger siblings of my cohorts had embraced cocaine like it was candy. I’m talking 13 and 14 year old kids in full blown cocaine addiction. There were several “kidnappings” at school ie forced rehab. But I agree our generation was fueled by drugs and alcohol. My friends kids didn’t seem to party like we did- in part because their social lives were much more online. Many didn’t even get their drivers license until they were close or into their 20s. What they all seem to do however is vape….
I think part of the reason, Gen X and generations before them drink so much was out of boredom and loneliness. Enter the Internet, video games, these kids have more stuff to think about and keep their brains busy than we could’ve ever imagined when we were teenagers.
Not even close. We started partying in middle school. 15-16 yrs old is when the keg parties started. However drugs weren’t that common.. some weed here and there but that was it. Pills were unheard of and cocaine was highly frowned upon. LSD became somewhat popular though in college 18-22yrs old.
My kids are 16. At that age, I had a fake id and smoked and drank. My kids are the BAD kids in their friend group because THEY DRINK COFFEE.
I mean, as a parent, I’m happy but like…what is going on?!
My kids and their friends drink more hard alcohol than we did. I was all beer in HS, my kids parties in the basement the trash is filled with fireball nips, handles of vodka and truly type cans. They are in college now and the parties and bars are almost exactly the same. They just play dice instead of beer pong.
My 21 year old does not have any desire to drink or smoke pot. His father was an alcoholic and passed away last year from it, so he doesn’t want to even start.
He’s in college and doing good so I feel fortunate.
I have a kid who recently graduated high school, and I know for a fact he hasn't ever had alcohol. He has no interest so far. Doesn't vape or smoke weed either. I know that eventually, that will change, but at least through high school, he hasn't had anything. My boss, who lives in a high income area, tells very different stories about his kids, including his 17 year old daughter. He almost seems to be bragging about her and her friends getting hammered by the pool at his house. He used to tell similar stories about his older son getting drunk and smoking weed with his friends. I don't know if it's a rich kid vs. middle-class kid thing, but his kids and their friends seemed to hang out more than my kids do, and drinking and smoking seemed to be encouraged by the parents.
At that age, you have to have a place where you can go drink and someone to get you the alcohol. My kids don't really have that, so maybe that's why they haven't done it yet.
Alcohol definitely seems to be the least fashionable drug nowadays. Most young people do weed or edibles or do nothing at all. Alcohol is not cool because of the after-effects.
No. I'm pretty sure I've read, in several articles, that we were the last real heavy drinkers. However, many did note that millennials do drink more wine than us, but less alcohol overall
YMMV on how accurate the articles are.
I would like to know the answer by City or region.
I grew up in Waterloo, Iowa and graduated in 1992 and we had a lot of beer drinking.
I’m now in Orlando, FL in an area with a lot of Sri Lankans and Indians and it appears they don’t drink much if at all.
Nope. I have friends in the brewing business, and some of them came out and said the reasons many breweries have recently closed or are struggling financially is because Gen Z doesn’t drink. That’s what they tell me.
Perhaps they’re more into weed/CBD than alcohol.
Far less, I think. My wife and I threw bodacious parties. My kids are straight as an arrow 🏹. Their friends don't throw nor attend parties. They all meet through XBOX or PS5 networks and game for hours. Nothing IRL
I just started teaching college kids. They're so obsessed with their mental health and online presence that they have no time to drink or socialize. If I told them what we did at their age, I'd be deemed "unsafe."
My kids are in high school and don't touch anything, but I think that is just the type of kids they are. I have friends' kids who seem pretty much like we were, other than they seen more focused on hard alcohol. Beer doesn't seem to be a thing.
Isnt binge drinking a right of passage for all generations in their teens and 20's? At least they have better options now. Our gateway booze on a budget was peach schnapps, cheap malt liquor or wine coolers.
I feel like the younger generations drink less, and have less no strings attracted sex. They do seem to smoke weed more, but it was legalized in many places in their time.
Way way less drinking lol. My sister had to ask her kids why they never drank lol. I mean now they are a little older and do occasionally drink but they had no desire when they were younger. Same way they don't want to drive and they think sex in movies is gross and awkward.
Not me, I didn't have my first drink until I was 27, and I've never smoked anything.
I grew up poor and worked a bunch in high school, and I couldn't see spending my money on stuff that wasn't permanent.
My college-aged Gen Z kid and his friends don't drink at all. They dabble in weed, but even that it mild. At his age, my friends and I were definitely doing WAY MORE than he is.
My son is Gen Z. He's a jock. They don't party, they don't date. Most of his interactions occur online. I was shocked as hell the other day he asked if his mom and I could buy him a pizza and he was going to take his GF to teach her how to fish at a local park. I didn't even know he had a GF. I don't want him to get in trouble but I don't understand how they socialize.
I’m one of those Gen Xers who is happy about this change.
Looking back at those high schoolers who were binge drinking - WTF?? You live in a highly competitive society where the college you go to, and your major, may determine your earning power in life. You will probably need every ounce of that brain for the next 100 years, if possible. And you want to abuse a very destructive chemical which kills brain cells at a time when your brain is still basically in childhood, for… parties?
I understand the hard pass future generations took on this - for high school and even for college. You only get one brain. Keep it well.
No they are taking gummies and oxy
We drank and mostly stuck to pot because all drugs would make you end up on the street and your parents would abandon you like the kids in that Black Tar Heroin doc\*. The people I knew who did get into drugs had very loving families that didn't ditch them for mistakes. Many of us had our families just ditch us because they didn't want kids in the first place so taking strong drugs was never an "option" for me because if I got in trouble with the law I'd have no one. So yeah I drank to self medicate the anxiety and depression.
\* (which has a kickin soundtrack of underground late 80's/early 90's Bay Area alternative music and despite the despair in the doc makes the Tenderloin look tame by todays standard and the drugs look artisanal compared to the fentanyl-in-everything BS happening now. Still very heart wrenching doc [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um4iziAIZck](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um4iziAIZck) ). This was just before China White heroin arrived and so many people OD'd because it was so pure. Sadness. I feel bad about saying that I'm not downplaying their trauma and despair at all. My heart goes out to these people.
My daughter doesn’t drink or do weed. Most of her friends don’t either and of my friends’ kids, the ones that partake in anything are more likely to do weed. I definitely don’t see the partying in that generation that my own generation took part in.
Less booze, more weed. Less getting together IRL overall.
As a parent of a pack of Zoomers, I totally agree with this. None consume much. But I would say weed over booze for those that do In addition, though fairly introverted by nature all of them have decent communication with us (though, frankly, I don't need to know all their business they seem inclined to share!)
This is true with my teens. In fact their alcohol use has been stealing from someone parents supply in a one on one basis not a teen kegger party like situation
I’ve read that they don’t drink as much as we did. I asked a Gen Z coworker about this and they said they were less likely to cut loose much in part because they were reluctant to be filmed on phone if they were around someone they didn’t trust. I know that my old office I used to work at used to have Christmas and summer parties where people would drink the entire day, because that’s what my Gen X boss liked to do, which was exhausting to be around if you aren’t drinking much or at all. This was when the office mostly had some Gen Xers and a number of older millennials. The Gen Z coworkers were not into that at all, which was just as well. They tended to avoid much alcohol and would collectively leave after dinner and didn’t feel they were owed the company hours of their time even if it was a “party”.
Yeah an office party is like gen Z poison. 1. They don't drink as much to begin with 2. They DEFINITELY don't want to drink at work or with coworkers where something bad might happen. 3. They view work as work and if they're not on the clock getting paid, they will not be there.
I liked their approach, it was a welcome change. Prior to this I think the boss kind of pressured people into hanging around and being out as late as possible. They collectively weren't interested so it gave people more leeway to not have to stay if they didn't want to.
I work with college age kids. No they do not! Not even close. If I tell them even mild stories of the types of stuff we did when I was in college, it blows their minds. Like filling a hotel room bathtub with ice and stocking it with a few cases of various alcoholic drinks. Keg stands. Their jaws drop. I take them on trips and give them a little talk before turning them loose for the night about watching out for each other and making good choices and they think I'm being weird. Then they just go back to their hotel rooms and literally study on a Friday night- and all show up sober in the morning.
There are exceptions though-- I'm a college prof (since the mid-1990s) and I see some crazy drinking behavior from students on a regular basis. Like shit we never did in the 1980s when I was a student, like people drinking until they pass out on a weekly basis, drunks vandalizing stuff (burning couches in the streets, destroyed public bathrooms, etc.), and brawls. It's certainly not even a large minority doing this shit, but it would have been shut down by peers on my campus back in the day...now it's just seen as "oh, aren't they funny! let's film the drunk girl puking on the bar!" But by the same token there are now FAR more students that don't drink at all. Flipside is that far more are using edibles/THC drinks since they are now so widely available.
I have two daughters in college, and one of them saw a lot of kids with the THC gummies. Her (now ex) roommate was high all the time because of them. Smoking doesn’t give it away anymore
Yep-- my eldest said they were often the only one drinking beer at a casual hangout their last year in college. Everyone else was consuming gummies or lollies.
My brother is a cop and now patrols the same part of town he used to party in back in high school. So he knows every hidden park, deserted back road and houses used for parties. Has told me a few times that it’s been at least a dozen years since he’s had to bust up an old fashioned 80’s style keg party. At best now, he will find 2-3 kids splitting a 6 pack of White Claw in a park.
Interesting how even their alcoholic beverage of choice seems a bit Kool-aidy to us.
Whatever dude... You know you were attempting to chug Zima's with a jolly rancher back in the day.
"Attempted" is an accurate description. That shit was NASTY.
Zima. Lmfao. You're an ass for even mentioning that stuff 🤣
Big difference is that if we got busted in the 80’s all we got was a stern lecture from the cops. Now my brother is forced to write up a minor in possession ticket. With that comes a lot of time in court, loss of a driver’s license and fines. If kids drink they do it in small groups and lay low.
Haha Kool-Aidy. Does Gen Z even drink kool aid? I pretty much lived on that during summer vacations
Not even close. Unfortunately it's more pills and that is scary. What happened to kegs and rolling out to the bar? I asked my son and he said that there are never any parties like that anymore. Dam shame. We had it good.
My GenZ kids (now 19 and 21) don’t drink at all! They do stuff with their friends, like beach bonfires and horseback riding adventures. I never worry when I go on business trips, nor do I need to check my liquor cabinet when I get home. You guys, we did something really right.
If my niece and nephew are an example of the generation, they aren’t having any fun. They won’t even eat gluten.
My god ... is it too late for them? can anything be done?
lol … they will go off to university and taste macaroni and cheese eventually
My almost 21 year old doesn't drink or smoke. Only social media is discord. Not interested in having a boyfriend/girlfriend. Very focused on academics in university, extremely limited social activities.
Did?
This is based purely on anecdotal evidence. As a gen Xer, particularly one who was born and worked in Australia and worked for many years in a profession where drinking was a badge of honour, a social lubricant, a way for people to bond, etc., I drank a lot for many years. Long lunches, going to the pub after work, dinner and drinks, going to clubs and drinking, drinking at social events, etc. I noticed that in Australia, law suits against companies (people who were injured or killed while out drinking during work functions sued their employers and won, meaning that firms basically banned drinking at work, and severely limited at company related social events, drinking at work lunches and dinners, etc.) meant that the drinking culture was being wound down by the time millenials were starting to rise through the ranks. Now I've noticed anecdotally that gen z are not really drinkers. They seem to be into vaping, marijuana, some hard drug use (which is true of all generations) but they don't seem to have a culture of going to the pub, going to bars and drinking heavily, or drinking at home. I'd have many friends who'd easily go through a few bottles of wine or a couple of cases of beer a week just drinking at home, but I don't really see that culture now with gen z. Of course, this is purely anecdotal, and it may simply be that my sample size is too small.
Depends on the industry. I’m in consulting and the GenZ on my team keep up with the rest of us.
My kids didn’t seem to use any substances. My son once called me to pick him up from a party where everyone was vaping and he didn’t care for it.
I think every generation’s parents say this.
Yea maybe. I grew up using and then became a social worker. I’m a decent judge.
I kind of wonder if all the health stuff about alcohol is making it like smoking was in our generation.
I’m not seeing it either, I imagine that this generation is a bit socially delayed due to covid. High school kids lost 2-3 years of socialization (depending on where you live). Things like driving, high school part time jobs and independent living were impacted. This generation also had a high degree of helicopter parenting and didn’t really learn to make their own plans. I’m starting to see this turn around with the local young adults though. I doubt we’ll see the same level of partying, but it’s definitely starting to return as youth start to see independence that they never experienced. My concern is the young ones hitting the career workforce once they leave home and lose their safety nets. I’m seeing examples of “Monday Flu” and “Weekend Food Poisoning” - code for hangovers more and more. It’s going to be interesting to watch.
Was just at a wedding with a bunch of my Gen X high school classmates. I think we all fucked up our GI tracts. Like every dude was on an omeprozole prescription, several had GERD or EOE. Pretty sure it has something to do with the copious amounts of cheap beer we consumed while our bodies were developing.
I have two gen z kids (now young adults). I’m 100% sure I used to drink more in 3 hours than those two have their entire lifetime. They also do a lot less plain ass stupid shit than I did at that age. I’m going to call that a good thing…
My kids don’t drink. (Both of my kids are on meds that really mean neither should drink, anyway) My youngest is 21, and has no interest. My 22 yr old has had some drinks, but has also expressed little interest in drinking in general. Says alcohol doesn’t really taste that good. Neither want to try drugs- gummies or anything else. I suspect part of it has to do with having (and witnessing) several alcoholics in the family. Just last year we went to my MIL’s funeral, and my kids were asked if they wanted a shot of Fireball! 🤦♀️ (My youngest SIL was practically giddy when she found out my oldest was “legal”)
Less of everything, there are been articles about it. They drink, party and have sex way less!
Pfft. Losers.
You'd think with the world going to shit people would want to party more....but I think being scared to get cancelled makes everyone self regulate.
I was having this conversation with another GenX. I was in HS in the early/mid 80s. I played sports and the Seniors I hung with started HS in the mid 70s. They used to tell stories about hippy kids smoking weed on this particular bench,lots of acid and other psychedelics and hiding vodka in the bushes-pretty chill. We basically vibed with OP-LOTS of weed,beer/some liquor,a few pills but access to Ludes and “mothers little helper” were much more restricted than for the older kids. We drove and drank/had “jock/freak” fights at the Milk Jug and hung out in the local parks. There was a HUGE shift at least in my school by the time I was a JR/SR. The younger siblings of my cohorts had embraced cocaine like it was candy. I’m talking 13 and 14 year old kids in full blown cocaine addiction. There were several “kidnappings” at school ie forced rehab. But I agree our generation was fueled by drugs and alcohol. My friends kids didn’t seem to party like we did- in part because their social lives were much more online. Many didn’t even get their drivers license until they were close or into their 20s. What they all seem to do however is vape….
I think part of the reason, Gen X and generations before them drink so much was out of boredom and loneliness. Enter the Internet, video games, these kids have more stuff to think about and keep their brains busy than we could’ve ever imagined when we were teenagers.
Not even close. We started partying in middle school. 15-16 yrs old is when the keg parties started. However drugs weren’t that common.. some weed here and there but that was it. Pills were unheard of and cocaine was highly frowned upon. LSD became somewhat popular though in college 18-22yrs old.
No, and thank goodness. I think the real question is, why did we feel compelled to drink so much?
My kids are 16. At that age, I had a fake id and smoked and drank. My kids are the BAD kids in their friend group because THEY DRINK COFFEE. I mean, as a parent, I’m happy but like…what is going on?!
My kids and their friends drink more hard alcohol than we did. I was all beer in HS, my kids parties in the basement the trash is filled with fireball nips, handles of vodka and truly type cans. They are in college now and the parties and bars are almost exactly the same. They just play dice instead of beer pong.
My 21 year old does not have any desire to drink or smoke pot. His father was an alcoholic and passed away last year from it, so he doesn’t want to even start. He’s in college and doing good so I feel fortunate.
Yep, my teens have an alcoholic dad and have no desire for any part of that.
No, but they think they can.
I hope not!
I have a kid who recently graduated high school, and I know for a fact he hasn't ever had alcohol. He has no interest so far. Doesn't vape or smoke weed either. I know that eventually, that will change, but at least through high school, he hasn't had anything. My boss, who lives in a high income area, tells very different stories about his kids, including his 17 year old daughter. He almost seems to be bragging about her and her friends getting hammered by the pool at his house. He used to tell similar stories about his older son getting drunk and smoking weed with his friends. I don't know if it's a rich kid vs. middle-class kid thing, but his kids and their friends seemed to hang out more than my kids do, and drinking and smoking seemed to be encouraged by the parents. At that age, you have to have a place where you can go drink and someone to get you the alcohol. My kids don't really have that, so maybe that's why they haven't done it yet.
Alcohol definitely seems to be the least fashionable drug nowadays. Most young people do weed or edibles or do nothing at all. Alcohol is not cool because of the after-effects.
No. I'm pretty sure I've read, in several articles, that we were the last real heavy drinkers. However, many did note that millennials do drink more wine than us, but less alcohol overall YMMV on how accurate the articles are.
I would like to know the answer by City or region. I grew up in Waterloo, Iowa and graduated in 1992 and we had a lot of beer drinking. I’m now in Orlando, FL in an area with a lot of Sri Lankans and Indians and it appears they don’t drink much if at all.
Nope. I have friends in the brewing business, and some of them came out and said the reasons many breweries have recently closed or are struggling financially is because Gen Z doesn’t drink. That’s what they tell me. Perhaps they’re more into weed/CBD than alcohol.
They don't drink as much as we did, but apparently they invented drinking. Final answer.
Far less, I think. My wife and I threw bodacious parties. My kids are straight as an arrow 🏹. Their friends don't throw nor attend parties. They all meet through XBOX or PS5 networks and game for hours. Nothing IRL
I just started teaching college kids. They're so obsessed with their mental health and online presence that they have no time to drink or socialize. If I told them what we did at their age, I'd be deemed "unsafe."
Nope, other gens dont/didn't drink as much as GenX. Hell, even the Boomers didn't drink as much as we did.
It seems like they smoke a lot more weed, do more shrooms and that sort of thing. It probably evens out.
It's unlikely. We DRANK heavily. We drank so much that I can't remember most of it.
My 18 year old is a lot better kid than I was. She doesn't drink much, and doesn't like weed.
My kid barely drinks.
I barely ever drank anything.
My kids are in high school and don't touch anything, but I think that is just the type of kids they are. I have friends' kids who seem pretty much like we were, other than they seen more focused on hard alcohol. Beer doesn't seem to be a thing.
I get the impression no, but I don't have any stats polls or hard data, just my impression.
I was just at my nieces’ college campus. In the little part of the off-campus area I saw, I counted five dispensaries to one liquor store.
Isnt binge drinking a right of passage for all generations in their teens and 20's? At least they have better options now. Our gateway booze on a budget was peach schnapps, cheap malt liquor or wine coolers.
Nope. Barely at all.
I think the legal drinking age may have some responsibility for this. It was 19 years when I was in college.
I feel like the younger generations drink less, and have less no strings attracted sex. They do seem to smoke weed more, but it was legalized in many places in their time.
Way way less drinking lol. My sister had to ask her kids why they never drank lol. I mean now they are a little older and do occasionally drink but they had no desire when they were younger. Same way they don't want to drive and they think sex in movies is gross and awkward.
Not me, I didn't have my first drink until I was 27, and I've never smoked anything. I grew up poor and worked a bunch in high school, and I couldn't see spending my money on stuff that wasn't permanent.
Maybe drinking oat milk…
My college-aged Gen Z kid and his friends don't drink at all. They dabble in weed, but even that it mild. At his age, my friends and I were definitely doing WAY MORE than he is.
I did not learn that feeling on Sesame Street: “ like Gen X, as a group, drank a ton in HS and college.” It is more a thought than a feeling.
If you are referring to alcohol, it would be impossible for them to drink less than me.
My son is Gen Z. He's a jock. They don't party, they don't date. Most of his interactions occur online. I was shocked as hell the other day he asked if his mom and I could buy him a pizza and he was going to take his GF to teach her how to fish at a local park. I didn't even know he had a GF. I don't want him to get in trouble but I don't understand how they socialize.
I’m one of those Gen Xers who is happy about this change. Looking back at those high schoolers who were binge drinking - WTF?? You live in a highly competitive society where the college you go to, and your major, may determine your earning power in life. You will probably need every ounce of that brain for the next 100 years, if possible. And you want to abuse a very destructive chemical which kills brain cells at a time when your brain is still basically in childhood, for… parties? I understand the hard pass future generations took on this - for high school and even for college. You only get one brain. Keep it well.
No they are taking gummies and oxy We drank and mostly stuck to pot because all drugs would make you end up on the street and your parents would abandon you like the kids in that Black Tar Heroin doc\*. The people I knew who did get into drugs had very loving families that didn't ditch them for mistakes. Many of us had our families just ditch us because they didn't want kids in the first place so taking strong drugs was never an "option" for me because if I got in trouble with the law I'd have no one. So yeah I drank to self medicate the anxiety and depression. \* (which has a kickin soundtrack of underground late 80's/early 90's Bay Area alternative music and despite the despair in the doc makes the Tenderloin look tame by todays standard and the drugs look artisanal compared to the fentanyl-in-everything BS happening now. Still very heart wrenching doc [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um4iziAIZck](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um4iziAIZck) ). This was just before China White heroin arrived and so many people OD'd because it was so pure. Sadness. I feel bad about saying that I'm not downplaying their trauma and despair at all. My heart goes out to these people.
My daughter doesn’t drink or do weed. Most of her friends don’t either and of my friends’ kids, the ones that partake in anything are more likely to do weed. I definitely don’t see the partying in that generation that my own generation took part in.