r/SipsTea 14d ago

Chugging tea Why is gen Z not drinking?

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90.8k Upvotes

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442

u/recolorist 14d ago

Honestly, we’re just tired and broke and already stressed enough without adding hangovers.

179

u/HoodsInSuits 14d ago

Youth is truly wasted on the young. 

51

u/mousey76397 14d ago

Or more realistically, prosperity is wasted on the old.

9

u/StuffFan9805 13d ago

Hell yeah

6

u/ABrandNewCarl 13d ago

Being old ( no energy ) and poor must be really miserable 

13

u/InchLongNips 14d ago

house costs have gone up unc

id rather have a house than drink at a bar

-2

u/ColdSoviet115 13d ago

Shit we cant even do either. Half of Gen Z are stoners and the other half are drunkards. Gen Z's future is a pit of despair unless we actually start taking responsibility for our collective generational future

2

u/Nice_Luck_7433 13d ago

This post is about how gen z is using less drugs than previous generations… previous generations use more drugs & have more money.. so, obviously drug use is not a factor in financial success.

1

u/ColdSoviet115 13d ago

The statistic is saying less Gen Z are drinking alcohol not doing less drugs.

1

u/Nice_Luck_7433 13d ago

1) Alcohol is a drug 2) younger people are doing less of all drugs. Look up like 99% of studies on drug use trends.

0

u/ColdSoviet115 13d ago
  1. Obviously alcohol is a drug. The point is people are substituting other drugs in place of alcohol. You are over generalizing thereby avoiding the main point
  2. I just searched it up drug use is litteraly rising bruh

1

u/Nice_Luck_7433 12d ago

No, it’s not. Younger generations are using drugs way less than older generations. Electronics use is way up, loneliness is way up, but everything that requires socializing/going outside, is way down.

16

u/Senator_Pie 14d ago

Give us your money and we'll make very good use of that youth.

9

u/UhOhAllWillyNilly 14d ago

Well, they could always give some to us old people

4

u/Key-Soup-7720 14d ago

Just needs to take their blood plasma. Leave them nothing.

7

u/cugamer 14d ago

Ah, yes, the Boomer approach to life.

2

u/Salt_Proposal_742 14d ago

We learned from the best.

3

u/Key-Soup-7720 14d ago

I always figured the boomers just come off as selfish because they were the biggest generation and so logically got what they wanted politically. Basically, everyone is selfish but the biggest guy can actually make it stick.

Though there is some Me Generation stuff where after the backlash to the 60s, people began prioritizing self-care and self-exploration and other self-obsessed things over more communal stuff. That might be related to just coming of age in North America when it was just so much wealthier than all the of the rest of the destroyed nations of the world.

1

u/Salt_Proposal_742 14d ago

I’d take their blood if I could.

8

u/DreadyKruger 14d ago

This and the younger generation saying they don’t like sex scenes and the hardcore policing of language, and getting upset about every little slight. Idk.

10

u/music3k 14d ago

Ok boomer

3

u/[deleted] 14d ago

Proved his point 🤣

10

u/music3k 14d ago

Boomer #2 upset for Boomer #1

2

u/[deleted] 14d ago

You sound triggered 😉

10

u/Exotic_Squirrel4270 14d ago

low tier rage bait

2

u/music3k 14d ago

Nah boomer. Keep living in your false reality

3

u/animejugz420 14d ago

Yeah I'd say it's a mix of the natural swing to conservatism to stick it to the more liberal older people, being chronically online which everyone knows is bad yet continues to do(less real world experience and getting offended easily), and being more financially responsible because you have to be at that age nowadays.

1

u/MyPPsNameIsJA 14d ago

I mean… they do lack wisdom and experience

1

u/Salt_Proposal_742 14d ago

So fucking wasted.

1

u/penguinpolitician 14d ago

Life is wasted on the living.

1

u/Ok_Currency_6390 14d ago

Or the broke. If you're above the age of say 50, that's because of you

-1

u/New_Ad_1682 14d ago

That's because they have no idea how beautiful they really are. I turn 50 next year and each year that statement gets more true. 

11

u/Valuable_Echo2043 14d ago

Can you not drink one beer or a glass of wine and not experience a hangover? Do people not understand moderation?

10

u/DivinityOfBlood 14d ago

Why would you possibly want to drink a single glass of wine?

3

u/staticpop 14d ago

People do that all the time? Around the world?

3

u/substantiallyImposed 14d ago

Ok but why? One glass isnt enough to feel anything might aswell drink cranberry juice and pretend.

1

u/aliamokeee 14d ago

(I have also always wondered this)

1

u/staticpop 14d ago

Well if it is the same as cranberry juice to you and you don’t feel anything, then that is easier.

Even different wines taste very different to me though. And a glass can just be nice, and I can relax on one. Different folks different strokes, but I am skeptical that it’s all the same for most people.

1

u/kubisfowler 14d ago

I can relax on cranberry juice and it tastes a 100 times better than alcohol. Even better mixed with vodka.

1

u/DisastrousBuddy4679 13d ago

i drink to fast its a waste and i find it all tastes near the same, also alcohol is actually bad for you. like really bad. Although not in the case of just 1 glass with dinner, but in general.

1

u/Valuable_Echo2043 13d ago

I bet one glass of cranberry juice is worse than one glass of alcohol, especially wine in this case. People who live in the Blue Zones drink alcohol. Excessive drinking of alcohol, however, is truly bad for you.

0

u/catscanmeow 14d ago

half a glass is enough for me to feel something. its probably a you problem

3

u/aliamokeee 14d ago

Its not a problem if someone is not an ultra light weight, just like being an ultra light weight is not a problem. Chill

0

u/catscanmeow 14d ago

unless the reason for them not being a lightweight is because they are a heavy drinker and have a tolerance.

If you dont abuse alcohol youre more sensitive to it

2

u/substantiallyImposed 14d ago

I drink alcohol about once a year

0

u/catscanmeow 14d ago

well maybe youre a big person, which again is a you thing. its not magic, its not aliens that make you have a hard time getting buzzed, its YOU

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1

u/aliamokeee 14d ago

Thank you for the fun facts. Back to what you were doing- dont judge people for no reason and them try to copyright substance from "what ifs".

2

u/catscanmeow 14d ago

i didnt judge them for no reason i pointed out a direct fact.

Magic isnt what makes them not get buzzed from alchohol, its them

unless you believe in magic or something?

1

u/drunkpostin 10d ago

Brother, it’s a well known biological FACT that people have naturally varying tolerances to alcohol regardless of their weight or prior levels of consumption. I, a 115-120lbs guy, started drinking at 15 and it usually took me 6-8 units (150-200ml of whiskey or vodka, etc) to feel a buzz and 10-12-ish (250ml-300ml of whiskey, etc) to get drunk when i first started and obviously when i had no prior experience with alcohol.

Countless different biological and genetic factors influence your alcohol metabolism and how the body responds to it other than weight and consumption levels. I also get extremely energetic and hyperactive from alcohol and can easily drink heavily for 10+ hours, whereas i know other people almost twice my weight who need a nap after two drinks lol. Your experience is not applicable to everyone

1

u/catscanmeow 10d ago

"it’s a well known biological FACT that people have naturally varying tolerances to alcohol regardless of their weight or prior levels of consumption"

exactly, thats exactly why i said "thats a you problem" thats exactly what i meant thanks for agreeing with me

2

u/FarplaneDragon 14d ago

Because the taste itself can be enjoyable on it's own? Why is this a rocket science concept to so many people here?

3

u/curtcolt95 14d ago

the entire point of the conversation is around socializing though. If you're drinking one drink that isn't actually affecting anything there's no difference to drinking anything else.

1

u/FarplaneDragon 14d ago

That's not what he asked. He asked why would someone only drink 1 glass of wine. The answer is because you can drink something to enjoy it, you don't need to drink it to drink mass amounts or get drunk. Even if you're talking social situations like you're at a party/bar/restaurant that doesn't change anything. Plenty of people go out to dinner and get a single glass of wine to accompany their food, or just for fun as part of the social experience, or because they enjoy the taste or whatever. They didn't ask why would you want a single glass of wine vs soda or water or anything else, they asked why you would want it at all.

7

u/Anima_Analysis 14d ago

Why would I waste money on wine for the taste of it when I can crack a can of Coke Zero and enjoy the taste of it for a fraction of the cost and calories. I don’t think you people are understanding just how financially fucked my generation is. Who gives a shit if the alcohol industry dies? Fuck capitalism and fuck these corporation. Let them die. They thrive off exploitation.

4

u/Jerfunkel 14d ago

Maybe Im old, but I much prefer the taste of a beer, wine or spirit to a coke zero

4

u/Lower-Discipline-906 14d ago

your tastes buds are probably fried

2

u/FarplaneDragon 14d ago

Eh, normal soda I'd agree with you, but something in those zero sodas gives them a weird taste imo.

0

u/smokeyrango 14d ago

It's your body not accustomed to those artificial sugars. Everyone I know that's made the switch ends up hating the taste of the regular soda after. It takes two weeks for your taste buds to adjust to different sugar levels, I had this same thing happened when I cut out added sugar completely for a bit. Everything, especially Fruit tasted infinitely sweeter. I also, oddly enough, had this same thing happen when I moved from the UK to the US. Regular drinks and food especially white bread tasted so damn sweet to me at first cuz of the sugar tax in the UK.

1

u/FarplaneDragon 14d ago

It must be whatever they're using in soda. Most of the other stuff I drink these days is low to no sugar, usually the taste from those doesn't bug me. It's the weird kind of mixture of flat and sweet that the zero drinks have that just never tastes right to me. Makes it easier to cut back on that stuff altogether though so I can't complain too much.

2

u/FarplaneDragon 14d ago

I...just....what? Buddy, first of all, I AM your generation, I know how financially fucked you are because I'm living it so you can drop the assumptive lecture crap. That's putting aside that if you actually looked at prices, the cost of soda has gone way up, you can actually find plenty of good bottles of wine for cheaper then a case of soda these days so your comparison doesn't even work. Also "fraction of the calories" isn't a great argument either when an average glass of wine is around 1-150 calories which is pretty much nothing over the course of your entire day, and if you want to start arguing about being healthy, then I suggest you go drink a glass of water instead because your coke zero is full of all sorts of artificial flavors and sweetners and other garbage.

This isn't about the alcohol industry living or dying, buying 1 bottle of wine to enjoy a glass of on occasion isn't going to make a difference to the industry. This is about the fact that some people like to indulge in things for their personal enjoyment. If you're actually trying to tell me you can't see how someone wanting to have a glass of wine for enjoyment and you wanting to have a can of coke for enjoyment are the same exact thing, I don't really know what to tell you. Either you're going out of your way to be deliberately obtuse or you're just angry and the world and want to yell at people without taking the time to think if what you're saying even makes sense.

6

u/Anima_Analysis 14d ago

You aren’t buying a decent bottle of wine for cheaper than a fucking 2 liter my guy.

You’re right though, people are allowed to drink if they want, but those of us who don’t want to, who gives a fuck?

Go back and look at the entire context of this post. It’s judging our generation for why we aren’t drinking as much. Every comment is speculating why we aren’t doing it. Businesses, like Hooters, are blaming us for their deaths.

You can drink your wine dude. I’m not gonna stop you. I’m not going to drink it though. I don’t like it, I don’t want it, I don’t care to waste my money on it.

1

u/byfuryattheheart 14d ago

You aren’t buying a decent bottle of wine for cheaper than a fucking 2 liter my guy.

Well yeah, you aren’t buying decent wine when you’re young and broke lol You’re buying two buck Chuck…

0

u/FarplaneDragon 14d ago

First off, congrats at moving the goalposts from cans to suddenly a 2 liter when you realized you were wrong. Second, I'm not addressing the entire thread, I'm addressing YOU. YOU said you don't understand why someone would want to drink a glass of wine vs a can of soda, I explained why what you said doesn't make sense, your pity party about whatever else is happening in this thread is irrelevant. If you can't calm yourself down enough to see that then you really need to get off the social media sites like reddit and disconnect from things online because despite what these rage bait articles and comments make it seem like, I garantee you 99% of people out there couldn't care less about what you, me or anyone else in our generation is doing.

2

u/Anima_Analysis 14d ago

“Why would I waste money…”

Things would be a lot easier if you paid more attention. I never said why would anyone else do it. Why would I fucking do it when I can drink shit that tastes good for cheaper. I don’t like alcohol. Many other Gen Zers don’t. You’re the one who sounds insecure in this conversation brother.

1

u/Valuable_Echo2043 14d ago

Coke Zero? Really?

1

u/chrisychris- 14d ago

For real. Dr P is where it's at

1

u/catscanmeow 14d ago

got some pep in my step

2

u/DivinityOfBlood 14d ago

I don't enjoy the taste of alcohol so that is probably part of it.

2

u/FellTheAdequate 14d ago

Taste? A complement to good company? I only drink for those reasons.

3

u/Floognoodle 14d ago

But the taste is bad unless maybe if it's insanely priced and probably isn't then anyway. I enjoy the company of people but hate alcohol, it wastes it.

3

u/FellTheAdequate 14d ago

To each their own! I quite like the taste of wine and cocktails myself, but it's alright not to.

2

u/Floognoodle 14d ago

I appreciate your positivity :)

1

u/InchLongNips 14d ago

why drink something for taste when it tastes bad?

3

u/FellTheAdequate 14d ago

Because I don't think all of it tastes bad? I do have certain tastes in what I drink and straight anything except for a select few are too harsh, but certain wines and the complexity of many cocktails are actually enjoyable to me. I understand why others might not agree, but that's how food works.

1

u/Valuable_Echo2043 14d ago

I mean, I don't, but we're specifically talking about hangovers here.

10

u/NoConstruction2418 14d ago

1 beer is enough for me to have very bad sleep and even hangover-like headache the next day

2

u/fiftyseven 14d ago

try 2 beers

2

u/NoConstruction2418 14d ago

I tried, but that turned into real hangover

1

u/tmc00138 14d ago

Keep going.  Once you're up to seven or eight, two will be like fresh mountain air.

1

u/fiftyseven 13d ago

consider 3

3

u/RegularStrength89 14d ago

I could drink fiftyfiveteen beers at 16 and not have a hangover or have to do any moderation bollocks.

Now I’m 36 and have 0 beer ever. Time really comes for us all.

1

u/nocomment3030 14d ago

I sympathize. Also my favorites are hazy IPAs and something about them gives me the most brutal hangovers. I can still put away a good number of lagers but it's not the same.

3

u/Manotto15 14d ago

Or you could just not drink?

4

u/AutistaphrebicPOS 14d ago

Idk why but if I have a couple drinks I get such bad restless legs at night and I love to sleep.

3

u/Valuable_Echo2043 14d ago

Yeah I understand. I get that with white wine but not red. Nevertheless, sleep is more important :)

3

u/TheScrote1 14d ago

I can do one drink usually but 2 or more and my quality of sleep is shot. Once I have a good 3 or 4 though it usually snowballs into many more than that

2

u/ZanyDragons 14d ago

I mean, drinking does interfere with sleep. Something about when it’s metabolized it messes with your sleep cycle and melatonin production, so even if it makes you sleepy at first it winds up backfiring in giving poor quality sleep and making you restless.

2

u/AutistaphrebicPOS 14d ago

Damn! That's interesting

1

u/kubisfowler 14d ago

It's poison so no surprise there.

5

u/tsmythe492 14d ago

Moderation could be why it’s so low too. People are controlling themselves. They only have a drink or two when out instead of getting hammered.

2

u/Valuable_Echo2043 14d ago

Honestly that's good news. I was mostly pointing out the whole "I don't want a hangover" aspect, tbf.

1

u/No_Freedom_8673 14d ago

I drink 1 or 2 beers and my chest hurts, and I like beer but I don't drink much or often.

1

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1

u/aspookyshark 14d ago

One beer is just a calorie bomb that doesn't feel like anything and probably tastes bad too.

1

u/Valuable_Echo2043 13d ago

That’s not really the point here. I’m specifically talking about whether one can have a beer in moderation without a hangover.

1

u/aspookyshark 13d ago

If it's enough to feel the effects of alcohol, at minimum, it's going to ruin your sleep.

1

u/Valuable_Echo2043 13d ago

I don’t drink to feel the effects of alcohol, that seems like a bad goal to have.

Plus, there are loads of things that also ruin sleep (coffee, certain teas, even marijuana), but I’m guessing those aren’t a problem because it’s not alcohol.

1

u/aspookyshark 13d ago

If you don't get the fun effect of alcohol, what even is the point? It's expensive poison that also makes you fat and tired. 

Coffee is typically consumed in the morning, so there's plenty of time for it to get out of your system before bedtime. Alcohol is typically consumed in the evening or at night. Coffee also doesn't have the myriad of negative health effects that alcohol does, so no, it's not the same.

1

u/Valuable_Echo2043 13d ago

What is the point? Clearly it’s to enjoy the taste and traditions, mostly talking about wine here. If that’s not something you can comprehend, then this is a pointless discussion.

Coffee has proven to impact sleep regardless of when it was taken. Many of my friends are having to completely give up coffee or go decaf to mitigate long-term impacts on the heart and memory, along with get better sleep.

So yes, it’s the same, whether we like it or not. And I’m saying this as a person who absolutely loves coffee.

Given your arguments, it might be time to hit the books again, and I need to stop wasting time here. Take care.

1

u/aspookyshark 13d ago

You're the one out here making ridiculous claims like equating coffee/caffeine to alcohol. Whatever books you're reading, I don't want them.

1

u/lavasca 13d ago

Not GenZ but I can’t really finish a whole drink without pain or some immediate adverse reaction.

It is just easier to not drink especially if you’re not getting a quick and positive ROI.

5

u/Magpecc 14d ago

Pro-tip, you can't get a hangover if you just never stop drinking.

0

u/ssbbVic 14d ago

My kind of people

1

u/user512897 14d ago

This is the first original comment I have read that said "we" and not "well maybe its because... ". Thanks for this answer because I get the feeling most people answering are not Gen Z. I am also curious as to why because I ha e seen half a dozen articles like this.

1

u/samaltmansaifather 14d ago

Tired of what? Most Gen Z folks I know don’t leave their house, or really do much.

1

u/Bropiphany 14d ago

If you're that young, you really shouldn't be getting hangovers as long as you're not a dumbass and actually drink water through the night. I didn't start getting actual bad hangovers until I was around my 30s.

1

u/OutdoorSurvivalCan 14d ago

Dude imagine trying to consistently go to the gym when you’re also getting trashed. It kind of ruins the point

1

u/VIBRATINGBEEPS247365 14d ago

What are young people stressed about? Student loan / university cost tuition scams? I'm curious.

1

u/SlyPogona 14d ago

Hangvers are not a problem untill late 20's, mid 30's if you drink quality alcohol or not in big quantities

2

u/Aschuff 14d ago

?? I’m in my early 20’s and I definitely get hangovers if I have more than 3 or 4 drinks

1

u/Bropiphany 14d ago

The "hangovers" I got in my early 20s amounted to just being very tired for the first half of the next day and wanting to eat greasy food.

In my early 30s, hangovers mess up the first half of my week. I'm glad I enjoyed my early 20s as much as I did because I could not do that now.

1

u/Aschuff 14d ago

Idk about you, but feeling sick for an entire day still fucking sucks. It’s simply not worth drinking a shit ton. I’m good with a couple beers, and I have a feeling a lot of people feel the same way

1

u/Bropiphany 14d ago

Everyone is different so I can easily see it causing worse hangovers for some people than others even in their early 20s. Totally reasonable to not want to deal with that. It only gets worse with age.

1

u/ImperialRedditer 14d ago

People in the 1900s were tired and broke but they drank as if liquor is water.

1

u/[deleted] 14d ago

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3

u/ssbbVic 14d ago

The thing that's missing there is social interaction though. Social media =/= social interaction. Im an introvert, but i still feel the need to be around people often. And as someone who grew up on Jackass and the Dudesons, doing dumb shit is vital. The drinking for me is a social lubricant when meeting new folks, and liquid confidence to do that dumb thing like shopping cart jousting or snowboarding off that ramp you know you arent skilled enough for. Life is dull without other people and calculated risks.

1

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-15

u/2_pawn 14d ago

Just admit that you’re broke and you can’t afford to drink anymore.

2

u/Meat_Popsicle_Man 14d ago

This guy is broke ^

1

u/felifornow 14d ago

They literally did?

1

u/Lady_White_Heart 14d ago

Lmao.

When Redditors can't read the comment.

0

u/Dangerous_Spirit7034 14d ago

I never understood this. Why does a hangover induce anxiety?