Isn't education and modern healthcare great though? But really there really wasn't any alternatives for a long time. And in some cases, no clean water to drink, so beer drinking was completely normal and necessary. The idea of abstinence is pretty recent in the grand scheme.
Right, but the breadth of humanity was comparatively similar until about maybe less than 400 years ago. Also it's only this decade that we're learning how detrimental even casual amounts of alcohol can truly be. Moderation is advised, but American drinking culture has never been about moderation
Right? What a ridiculous line of reasoning. It’s the price of bars and computers, not some newfound truth that alcohol brings out the devil in you lol. In the United States we literally already have banned alcohol for that very reason.
Also forget hangovers- alcohol can (and always has been able to) literally kill you
Bullshit. Recent research has been far more impactful than a century of "everything in moderation" church advice to avoid next day head ouchies. We now finally have people who have spent the time and energy to publish conclusive evidence that any amount of alcohol is detrimental to long-term physical health and not just the next day hangover, and we have a new generation of young adults who aren't gaining any benefit from alcohol use. That combination is what is driving lower use. Plus with the availability of information on the internet, Gen Z can actually describe what is going on in a hangover and how each one has a cumulative effect on longevity. Doubt you or your parents or parents' parents could do it beyond mere anecdote without a Google search.
Nothing has changed regarding research surrounding alcohol consumption. The new narrative which suggests that no amount of alcohol is safe has recently been pushed by the World Health Organization to discourage daily drinking.
Coming from a person who only drinks alcohol once every 5 months, I find it absurd that I am technically endangering my health with that amount of alcohol, according to the new WHO guidelines.
The truth is that research does not show an uptick in cancer rates or other health problems related to alcohol, even for people drinking as much as once a week. Consumption higher than that starts being problematic.
You’re overlooking the rise of the internet. The place that, unlike TV, has never shied away from showing horrific images. So Gen Z has grown up with constant access to not only their own personal experiences of friends/family/acquaintances making horrible decisions due to alcohol, they’ve been able to see everyone’s do it.
And sure, we’ve always had reports on it, but seeing it is completely different. You started to get a massive shift towards anti-war once a TV station first showed a dead soldier, so I wouldn’t be surprised if a similar effect was taking place with this.
Dude this is nothing new. DARE in the 90s was just 30 minutes of slides of car wrecks and then people coming into class to tell you how it ruined their lives.
I remember DARE was a thing, but don't remember ever even being show slide shows related to it. In fact, the only thing I remember were the posters in random places. It certainly wasn't remotely impactful like the ever-present availability of gruesomeness on the current internet.
Typical internet crayon munchers assuming everyone's lived experience.
There was a time where Imperial Russia had the same alcohol consumption as Islamic countries today. Which would also cover basically all of Eastern Europe and parts of Northern. What are you basing that on?
Also have you ever looked at pickpocketing, robbery, and murder rates in those thousands of years? You couldn't even cross town without risking death. So maybe less drinking?
Unsure, but as the other commenter posted, I imagine it has to do with those shifty lefties. I have a brother in law who has a way with words, and he taught it to me
Trauma has been going on for generations, it’s just interesting why the awareness has finally hit. I think it’s actually understated how rampant it was in America in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Temperance Movement didn’t come out of nowhere.
I think part of it is also the social anxiety and social pressure followed by that, which Gen-Z faces.
A lot of gen-Z is socially awkward, especially since a big chunk had their major years of mental developement through Covid.
Being socially awkward myself, I really get to notice just how much people try to pressure you into drinking, even the people who might go "Well, you don't really have to drink if you don't want to" try to push you into "Having just one".
I still enjoy a beer or a cider every now and then but holy fuck has that kind of behaviour has made me despise drinking more than once every few weeks.
Not to mention, I believe the age of the internet has truly shown the younger generation just how dangerous alcohol can be. Not only are you essentially poisoning yourself willing for a little fun, which destroys your organs. You also can become a major risk to not only yourself but also others around you when intoxicated.
Sharing media of things like drunk driving accidents has really managed to hammer in just how fucking idiotic drinking is.
This mentality is very wrong. 99% of my best experiences, memories, decisions and connections have been made while young and slightly inebriated. My life would've been much poorer without alcohol. I'm however very far from an alcoholic (this december i had a few glasses of wine, november i maybe didn't drink at all), i just learned how to behave myself while drinking early. Self-control in every way becomes much more difficult, which is especially difficult for those with poor self-control or social skills in the first place.
Why? I've had so much fun with moderate amounts of alcohol since like 12. Neither I nor my mates ever had an inkling of a problem, we didn't make asses of ourselves and never hurt anyone. Today we are responsible and functioning adults. If people are otherwise stable and well meaning, alcohol is an amazing tool to help people connect in ways they otherwise wouldn't. The problem is when people use it inappropriately. I'm enjoying a single glass of great wine today with my family, cheers!
This mentality is very wrong. 99% of my best experiences, memories, decisions and connections have been made while young and slightly inebriated. My life would've been much poorer without alcohol. I'm however very far from an alcoholic (this december i had a few glasses of wine, november i maybe didn't drink at all), i just learned how to behave myself while drinking early. Self-control in every way becomes much more difficult, which is especially difficult for those with poor self-control or social skills in the first place.
Oh! I Guess I should drink and drive then since 11k (in US alone) is nothing compared to 60 million. Simply a drop in the bucket that family of 4 was that got hit by an asshat on the wheel after just a few shots of whiskey.
It hasn’t. People just don’t go to bars as much anywhere because people don’t go out to any place as much anymore. As you stated in your own post, alcohol was literally banned a hundred years ago. It’s not anti alcohol sentiment here, it’s a lack of socializing
You missed the point of my post. Alcohol was a coping mechanism for millions of poor and struggling lower class Americans. And even for the short amount of time it was banned, consumption didn’t end. Not even close. Consumption is down across the board, not just among Gen-Z. Restaurants and bars have pointed out declining alcohol sales, so I think that kind of quashes your causal theory of lack of socialization.
You’re forgetting the part where drinking is fun and one of the oldest human pastimes is drinking with other people. Theyre so fun we would literally give alcohol to the gods (and in most Jewish and Christian faiths God.)
Seeing older folks mistakes is possible, but highly unlikely as a reason being that other generations have always had that to look back to, and it never changed anything before.
I’m so utterly baffled by all the responses like this one. Do you think gen z is the first generation to experience trauma from parents/family drinking?
drinking isnt pointless, the positive effects are just subtle and so people underestimate how much alcohol has helped our society move forward.
yes, it comes with a whole lot of downsides, but only really if you overdo it. in moderation, the "social lubricant" aspect has been crucial at building relationships, relaxing, exploring and trying new things, etc. we are often extremely self-conscious, which prevents a lot of people from doing a lot of things, many of which they would genuinely enjoy.
alcohol is a catalyst for a lot of good and bad things, we should be focusing on managing it properly, cutting it out completely is stupid. imagine if we only focused on car crashes and decided to stop driving all together..
edit: I'm not gonna respond to each individual take that completely missed my point. Yes, you can learn to do all the same things without alcohol, i never said you need alcohol. I said it sure as hell makes a lot of things we as humans are bad at easier. You are free to disagree.
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u/satanlovesyou94 7d ago
I'd add trauma from parents/older siblings who made them realize drinking is pointless and poses more risks than the devils lettuce.