Sobriety among Gen Z is much more common than you think

“Don’t forget, you used to be embarrassed,” my dad chided me last night. I’d just told him I was writing a column about why recent grads should be more vocal about their sobriety. I told my dad: I’m not embarrassed, but it’s awkward being the only sober person in a room full of tipsy people. “That is embarrassment,” he replied. My mom nodded. I was outnumbered.

Fine — I was embarrassed about not drinking in college. But I’m not anymore, and you shouldn’t be, either.

Sobriety in the post-grad years is more common than you might think, and the NoLo (no- and low-alcohol) movement seems only to be growing. For various reasons — including wider knowledge of alcohol-related health risks — members of Gen Z appear to drink less than previous generations. One report, from Berenberg Research, found they drink 20 percent less per capita than millennials, who drink less than their Gen X and baby-boomer counterparts.

After college, people tend to drink less (and binge-drink less!) as social lives become less centered on dorm parties and Greek life.

“In college, there’s a feeling of acceptability around binge drinking, which has dipped post [college],” a 24-year-old recent graduate, who preferred I omit his name, told me. He’s a management consultant in Chicago who says he drinks less now than he did in college.

But despite changing attitudes around drinking — because of both the post-grad transition and broader mind-set shifts around the world — many recent grads still find it difficult to voice a new desire not to drink, especially if they’ve never had to before.

This is an excerpt of Renee Yaseen’s Post Grad column. Read the rest for free on washingtonpost.com.

You can also follow Renee on Instagram at @washpostgrad.

Are you sober? Why or why not?

I did a speedrun of alcoholism, and by 23 I began my journey of sobriety. To keep a long story short, I worked at a company that embraced happy hours and had a bar in the office and that rekindled the alcoholic family tradition that my father worked so hard to get away from. In the end, I saw that I was surrounding myself with drinkers, and I didn’t like the direction it was taking my professional and personal life. You shared that you felt “awkward” sharing your reasons for not drinking; I felt shame. That shame is double-edged. On one side, I want to hide my sobriety and the reason I don’t drink, as they underline what I saw as a flaw in my character. On the other side, the shame is what reminds me of why I quit in the first place. After years of hiding my sobriety, I have embraced it and the shame. I turned shame into pride. Pride in conquering a serious issue in my life. I share freely with co-workers the reason I don’t drink and have had many others confide in me their own issues. —Ted M., 27

I’m 24 and just moved to a new city for grad school, and I’m realizing more and more that I don’t want to drink. I like the feeling of being a little drunk, but the way I feel the next day just isn’t worth it for me: more anxious, less coordinated, headachy and slow. I’m learning how to either stop after one drink or just to be confident in saying “no, thanks,” and I’m lucky enough to have friends who don’t pressure me either way. And as someone who studies biomedical engineering, I want to honor my body and all its hard-working organs by not feeding it poison. —Amanda A., 24

Below are two reader responses to our question of the week. To get our complete collection of reader responses each week, sign up to get the full edition of Post Grad.

What I’m Reading?

?? Don’t miss this beautiful essay from Tracy K. Smith on sobriety and accountability, both personal and collective.?

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?? What happens when a hometown kid becomes a YouTube mega-celebrity? Drew Harwell and Taylor Lorenz look at how MrBeast’s stardom has transformed the economy of Greenville, N.C.?

?? In the 5-Minute Fix newsletter, reporter Amber Phillips explains and analyzes the why behind the day's biggest political news — in five minutes or less.