50 years ago, actors, athletes, and celebrities at large were praised equally as much for their talents as they were for their partying capabilities. But in recent decades, this ode to Dyonisian excess has curbed drastically.
Much like we saw with smoking in the late '90s, alcohol seems to be losing its cool in pop culture. But with our society's added emphasis on mental health, the importance placed on self-care and personal growth — maybe that's for the best?
Going back over the last 70 years, all of film and television's most iconic characters were all drinkers. This includes names like James Bond, Don Draper, and Homer Simpson.
Alcohol and hip-hop have long gone hand-in-hand, as has booze and rock 'n roll. It feels like almost every country song imaginable is an ode to either whiskey or rye, and pop/electronica isn't any better.
According to a recent 2022 survey, courtesy of Drinkaware, 26 percent of 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK are now “fully teetotal”
According to industry research that was commissioned by KAM and Lucky Saint, one-third of all pub visits are now alcohol-free.
The overall market has grown by more than 506%, with over 42 non-alcoholic brands in the UK alone. So what has helped spark the change?
The youth of today are no longer looking to use alcohol as a crutch. Their focus is on self-care and self-improvement — which isn't easy to do hungover.
Housing prices have started to come down, but rising interest rates are still making it all but impossible for young people entering the market to buy a home.
We have been living in side-hustle culture for the better part of the last decade. The idea of sitting around and getting drunk is the antithesis of all that the youth stand for today.
Try and recall the last time you remember seeing alcohol being glorified in movies or on TV; I bet you can't do it.
Alcohol has become what smoking was in '90s cinema. Back then, you could always tell who the bad guy was by the Marlboro hanging out of their mouth.
Ironic, because weed, magic mushrooms, and MDMA have never been more popular or socially acceptable. In some states, Marijuana has become even more widely used than alcohol.
The added emphasis being put on mental health is arguably the biggest reason why alcohol seems to have lost its luster.
If you were born before 1996, then odds are you made it all the way through high school and university without a single drunk/high/wasted photo of yourself making the round on the internet. Kids nowadays understand how one bad decision truly can stay with you forever.
The last time I was out at a bar, I ordered a Black Cherry Whiteclaw that cost me $10. Who in their right mind can really afford such ridiculous prices as we slowly march into a recession?
You'll never see Kim Kardashian chugging back a beer, nor are you likely to ever find a picture of Cristiano Ronaldo soaking in his own vomit. No one is looking to live fast and die young anymore, and all understand perfectly how alcohol has become a recipe for just that.
