Welcome to East Lancashire

Alcohol free - where are we now?

The message that Generation Z (born between 1997-2012) are eschewing alcohol has been big news in recent years. However, the data doesn’t seem to support that statement. For the sake of a rational discussion, let’s absolutely not think of the Gen Z children here and just consider those young people on the right side of legal. A recent study by UCL concluded that contemporary young adults are not just imbibing, they are binge drinking. The research found 68 per cent of those in their early 20s report consuming six or more alcoholic drinks in one sitting in the past year and 29 per cent of them say they regularly do. That doesn’t feel like a downward trend, but is there any basis for comparison?