Alcohol is woven into everyday life for many people. A glass after work, a toast at a birthday, a drink poured without much thought at the weekend.
For decades, saying no often required an explanation. Lately, that reflex is quietly fading. What once felt unusual is starting to look increasingly normal.
A cultural shift
Across several countries, fewer adults now describe themselves as drinkers. In the United States, a long-running Gallup survey found in 2025 that just over half of adults say they drink alcohol, the lowest level recorded in nearly 90 years. The figure has fallen steadily year by year.
The same direction of travel is visible elsewhere. In the UK, data from Alcohol Change UK suggests that around one in five adults now avoid alcohol entirely.
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Australia shows an even sharper generational divide, with researchers at Flinders University finding that people born between 1997 and 2012 are dramatically more likely to abstain than baby boomers.
Drinking less, not louder
Even among those who still drink, habits are changing. Younger adults tend to consume alcohol less frequently and in smaller quantities than older generations.
Industry research from IWSR indicates that average alcohol consumption per person in the UK has dropped markedly since the early 2000s.
Several factors appear to be driving the shift:
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- rising health awareness
- an ageing population
- higher living costs
- changing social norms
Together, they have reshaped how alcohol fits into daily life, without the need for loud campaigns or moral pressure.
Beyond Dry January
Temporary challenges such as Dry January have helped normalise alcohol-free periods, but evidence suggests many people extend those breaks well beyond a single month.
Charity data from Drinkaware shows that a large share of adults now plan in advance to moderate their drinking during traditionally heavy periods such as Christmas.
Researchers and public health groups point to a broader reassessment of alcohol’s role, rather than a sudden rejection. The trend is not about prohibition, but about choice, flexibility and control.
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Where this movement settles remains to be seen. What is clear is that drinking less, or not at all, is no longer a fringe decision. It is becoming part of the mainstream.
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