#11: Being Sober is All the Buzz

More young people are choosing health over happy hour.

With the new year approaching, people are beginning to consider resolutions for 2024. Popular resolutions include traveling more, making time for hobbies, and improving finances. A recent Forbes Health/OnePoll survey, however, indicates that for this upcoming year, health will be top of mind for most. 48% of respondents say physical fitness will be a priority, while 36% want to focus on mental health.

Apart from eating right and moving more, drinking less alcohol has been shown to bolster mental and physical well-being by improving sleep, reducing anxiety, and lowering risks for major diseases, among other health benefits. Next month, those wanting to cut back on alcohol will participate in Dry January, attempting to stay sober for 31 days. This makes it a perfect time to take stock of how alcohol consumption has evolved over the years, particularly among Gen Z.

Less is More

While the national average remains consistent, trends in alcohol consumption have reversed over the past two decades.

Younger adults used to be the largest consumers of alcohol. But the drinking rate for adults under the age of 35 is now 62%, down from 72% from two decades ago. This is in contrast to older adults, who experienced a 10% increase in alcohol consumption, from 49% to 59%.

Young people in particular are being more cautious about their health. Male Gen Z binge drinkers have been cut by almost half since 2002, and 52% of all young adults are concerned that moderate drinking is unhealthy.

What was once seen as an expression of rebellion, free spirit, and adulthood, alcohol is becoming vilified by an increasingly health-conscious population.

Rise and Fall of Tobacco

Public sentiment about alcohol is following a parallel trend to that of smoking and tobacco.

Before the 1950s, there wasn’t strong enough evidence showing cigarettes were dangerous. So for the better part of the 20th century, smoking was advertised as beneficial to one’s health, curing certain ailments. Asthma patients were often prescribed medicated cigarettes to “cure” their symptoms. Tobacco companies even armed themselves with doctors who dismissed any concerns about the dangers of smoking.

It wasn’t until a 1964 landmark report that people fully realized the health consequences of tobacco. Issued by Surgeon General Luther Terry and his Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health, the report described smokers as having a nine- to ten-fold risk of developing lung cancer and heart disease, two conditions that are still major killers today.

At the time, 42% of all Americans smoked. Today that number is less than 12%.

Following Suit

As in the case of tobacco, alcohol was at one point thought to be healthy. But in 1977, the FDA delivered the first federal advisory on alcohol use during pregnancy.

While the original message wasn’t abstinence, public health agencies warned against maternal alcohol consumption as a risk factor for fetal alcohol syndrome, which can cause severe mental and physical disabilities in children.

The report has since catalyzed a robust body of literature describing the effects of alcohol on chronic disease, mental health, and even gut microbiota for all populations, not just pregnant women.

Even the notion that drinking moderate amounts of red wine can be health-promoting has been dismissed due to unconvincing data.

Apparently, the phrase “everything in moderation” doesn’t apply to alcohol.

“Even low-to-moderate alcohol consumption negatively impacts the brain and body in direct ways”.

~ Andrew Huberman, Huberman Lab Podcast

Gone Sober

For those who no longer drink, the alternatives—high in sugar and caffeine—can be grim.

Taking notice, companies are serving a growing sober population by selling healthier and better-tasting non-alcoholic beverages.

• Atlanta-based The Zero Proof has over 30 brands of non-alcoholic beverages available for purchase through its online store.

• Ghia puts a non-alcoholic spin on aperitifs made from botanical extracts.

• Athletic Brewing Co. crafts premium beers with the same alcohol content as kombucha and fruit juices.

And if people are looking for places to enjoy these beverages, so-called “sober bars” are gaining popularity. NYC has 23 of these venues, more than any other major city, and with new additions on the way.

Not so perfect

For what it’s worth, adolescents and young adults are not without their vices.

Vaping remains a leading cause of nicotine addiction, Gen Z is most likely to eat fast food out of any age group, and teens spend over 40% of their waking hours in front of screens.

But in a future forecasted with worsening isolation, chronic disease, and mental illness, our one saving grace may just be sober bars.

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This week in healthcare:

• 5 Ways that Inequality Improved This Year, Time

• NEJM aims to hold AI to account with new publication, Stat

• Tech Literacy: A Cornerstone of Preventive Care for Older Adults, MedCity News

• FDA to review MDMA-assisted therapy, a milestone for psychedelics, Washington Post

• To Revive Portland, Officials Seek to Ban Public Drug Use, NYT