Call them Generation Dry — if you go along with statistics provided by the American Addiction Centers.
In a survey of 3,400 millennials and Gen-Zers about their recent drinking habits and lifestyle choices, over two-thirds said they found heavy drinking culture to be boring.
Sixty percent in Maryland said they’d rather spend an hour of their day in the gym than in a bar, and just under half replied they are more excited to feel the post-workout buzz over being tipsy.
Virginians surveyed also say they’d opt for a workout over drinking. D.C. wasn’t included in the poll.
The American Addiction Centers, which polled young adults in all 50 states, said a high rate of social media usage might be influencing trends and behaviors toward healthier lifestyles among members of either generation. More than a quarter reported adopting healthier choices popularized by social media influencers.
The drinking culture can be expensive, and the study’s results also suggest young adults are cutting down on costs by reducing their alcohol intake or doing away with it completely.
While individual reasons for choosing an alcohol-free lifestyle might vary, the study found that the pandemic was not a major culprit for this lifestyle trend — 77% of those surveyed said they wouldn’t have a strong desire to go partying even if there hadn’t been a year of COVID-19 restrictions.
National results from the American Addiction Centers study are available online.
WTOP’s Alejandro Alvarez contributed to this story.
