Gen Z Is Drinking Less, and Bars Are Starting To Feel the Effects

When it comes to killing industries, Millennials hold the corner on the market. The generation, which includes those born between 1981 and 1996, has been blamed for everything from killing the top sheet to the napkin industry. Now, there's a new generation gaining notoriety for upending the status quo, and it's not for the reason you might think.

That's because Gen Z is getting a lot of attention due to the fact that they are drinking less than previous generations.

And when you consider that this population consists of those who were born between 1997 and 2012, there's a whole chunk of new drinkers who just... aren't drinking anymore.

Not only are they consuming less alcohol, but they're also less likely to feel comfortable vocalizing exactly what it is about drinking that they don't like. This info was gathered as part of a 2025 study, and the findings actually paint a really interesting picture about how this generation feels about alcohol.

According to a study from the beer company Heineken, Gen Z has largely pulled back from drinking alcohol. The study surveyed almost 12,000 people between the ages of 18 and 75, which is how they discovered that Gen Z is just saying "no" when it comes to alcohol.

But that's not all the study uncovered. According to Heineken, Gen Z is also the group that is most likely to drink non-alcoholic alternatives when socializing, with a whopping 73 percent of them saying they've tried them.

And while all of that may be good news for their health, it seems like Gen Z may feel uncomfortable when it comes time to talk about their sober or sober-curious choices. That's because 24 percent of Gen Z men surveyed said they felt the need to justify why they were drinking a non-alcoholic alternative, while 29 percent of the men surveyed said that they felt like an outsider when they were drinking alternatives to alcohol.

Even with the negative feelings surrounding alcohol consumption, or the lack thereof, Gen Z seems to be the latest generation opting to drink less.

According to the blog Alcohol Help, Baby Boomers are the biggest drinkers, which may have something to do with how people coped with the stresses of the 1960s. Next comes Gen X, which is the group with the most significant income, giving them more buying power when it comes to booze.

Lastly, Millennials are bringing up the rear with a marked decrease in alcohol consumption, even if they are still drinking too much by traditional standards.

Business Insider says that this has caused some bars and businesses to take note, and more "sober bars" are opening up to serve the next generation of (non) drinkers.

And even those bars that still serve alcohol will likely be forced to have a wide variety of alternatives on hand if they want to encourage Gen Z partiers to come into the establishments with their friends.

Otherwise, these non-drinkers may soon move on to other places where they can have fun without having to toss back a few.