Is Gen Z the Dry Generation? Drinking Less, or Just Differently

As a member of Gen X, I remember drinking as part of the weekend ritual of my younger days. Sunday hangovers became story time, and those stories became a form of social currency.

Today, as the mother of three Gen Z children and the colleague of many more, I see something very different. They may have a drink occasionally, but alcohol does not occupy the same place in their social lives. They work out, monitor what they eat, think about their mental health, and have no problem turning down a drink. 

From that vantage point, the conclusion seems obvious: Gen Z is drinking less.

But is Gen Z really abandoning alcohol, or is the traditional drinks industry losing its hold on the market?

What the Data Says About Gen Z Alcohol Consumption

Credible evidence supports the “dry generation” narrative.

A Gallup analysis of drinking patterns in the United States found that 62% of adults under 35 reported drinking alcohol in 2021–2023, down from 72% two decades earlier. Younger adults who drink were also less likely to have consumed alcohol during the previous week and less likely to say they sometimes drank more than they should.

The shift begins before adulthood. According to the 2024 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs, lifetime alcohol use among 15- and 16-year-olds across participating European countries fell from 88% in 1995 to 74% in 2024. Drinking during the previous 30 days declined from 55% to 43%, while heavy episodic drinking also fell. 

Attitudes have shifted alongside behavior. In 2024, Gallup found that 65% of American adults aged 18–34 believed alcohol negatively affects health, compared with 37% of those aged 35–54. 

Compared with young people in previous decades, today’s younger adults are less likely to drink regularly, more sober-curious, and more conscious of alcohol’s effects.

Yet that is not the whole picture.

Is Gen Z Drinking Less or Drinking Differently?

When I put the question to Philippe Gueltzer and Corentin Guedon, beverage lecturers at Swiss Hotel Management School, neither accepted the “dry generation” label.

“People say, ‘Gen Z behaves like this,’ but we need to stop putting everybody in the same basket,” Gueltzer argued. “Geography, culture, income, education, and social background can create substantial differences within a generation. A young consumer in California will not necessarily drink like someone of the same age in France, Switzerland, China, or Japan.”

That distinction matters because much of the discussion around Gen Z is based on US research and then applied to young people worldwide.

The most recent industry data complicates the narrative further. In 2025, IWSR surveyed more than 26,000 legal-drinking-age consumers across 15 markets. It found that the proportion of Gen Z adults who had consumed alcohol during the previous six months had risen from 66% in 2023 to 73% in 2025, approaching the 78% participation rate recorded among adults overall.

Among Gen Z consumers who drink, behavior was no longer significantly different from that of other generations. They explored more beverage categories than Boomers and were slightly more likely to drink spirits.

They were, however, considerably more likely to practice intermittent abstinence. Nearly 60% of Gen Z drinkers reported taking periods away from alcohol, compared with just over 40% of adult drinkers overall.

This reveals the problem with the original question. “Drinking less” can refer to frequency, quantity, or alcohol strength. It can mean taking more alcohol-free days, alternating cocktails with non-alcoholic drinks, or choosing one carefully considered drink instead of several. None of those behaviors necessarily means rejecting alcohol altogether.

“The dry label is not the real story,” Guedon said. “It is more about diversity and how a younger generation is changing the way it drinks.”

Gen Z may consume alcohol less frequently or in smaller quantities than previous generations did at the same age. Yet the Gen Z consumers who drink remain engaged, experimental, and willing to spend. The traditional drinks industry is now competing for that spending across a much wider market.

Therefore, Gen Z may not be abandoning alcohol, however wine is unquestionably under pressure.

What Gen Z's Drinking Habits Mean for Restaurant Revenue

The restaurant industry is seeing the consequences of this drier generation. During a recent meeting of the Circle of Excellence at Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland, Michelin-starred chefs and industry leaders described restaurants facing an increasingly difficult economic environment. 

Chef and restaurateur Deepanker Khosla, whose international perspective spans Bangkok, St. Moritz, and St. Louis, estimated that restaurant business is down by approximately 30% in the markets he observes. Poul Gørell, Global Executive Chef at Nestlé Professional, reported seeing similar pressures.

The decline is principally driven by the current economic climate: higher costs, lower disposable incomes, and customers going out less frequently. But when those customers also order less wine, restaurants lose revenue from a category that has traditionally been a lifeline in their margins. Economic pressure brings fewer people through the door, while declining wine orders reduce the value of the tables that remain.

Why Wine Consumption Is Falling in a Crowded Drinks Market

According to the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture, wine consumption in Switzerland fell by 7.9% in 2024. The decline continued in 2025. The International Organization of Vine and Wine estimated that Swiss wine consumption fell by a further 3.6%. It attributed weakening demand in major markets to a combination of lower alcohol consumption among younger cohorts, fragmented beverage preferences, price sensitivity, and reduced purchasing power.

The phrase “fragmented beverage preferences” may be the most important.

Previous generations had fewer options. Today, wine competes with craft beer, cocktails, ready-to-drink products, alcohol-free spirits, low-alcohol aperitifs, kombucha, specialty coffee, functional drinks, CBD-infused beverages (where regulations allow), and sophisticated mocktails. Consumers can move between alcoholic and non-alcoholic options within the same evening.

No- and low-alcohol products grew by 13% across ten major markets in 2024. According to IWSR, the category attracted an estimated 61 million new no-alcohol consumers and 38 million new low-alcohol consumers between 2022 and 2024.

This expansion does not mean that every new beverage replaces a glass of wine. But every additional choice fragments the market. Traditional brands can lose sales even when the overall number of consumers remains relatively stable.

“Why would I fix myself on only a few brands or products when I have so much choice?” Gueltzer asked.

In his view, many established wine and spirits producers continued making products for his generation, X, and the generations before it. Some did not see the need to change; others adapted too late.

How Gen Z Drinking Can Move From Prestige to Participation

Wine faces another problem: much of its traditional appeal depends on knowledge that younger consumers may not possess.

A familiar appellation can evoke a region, history, and set of expectations for an experienced wine drinker. For a new consumer, the same label may communicate very little or make wine feel intimidating and inaccessible.

Guedon saw a different response when he took a group of Chinese students to a local organic vineyard. The students met the producer, explored natural wines, and learned how the products had been made. Their interest came from participating in the experience, rather than simply reading a prestigious name on a label.

“They want taste, history, and story,” Gueltzer said. “It is no longer just drinking for the sake of drinking. There needs to be a purpose and meaning behind it.”

For Gueltzer, the response should be curiosity rather than judgment.

“When students tell me they don’t like wine, I ask them which wine they tried,” he explained.

With sufficient diversity of style, flavor, and origin, there is likely to be a wine that corresponds to their preferences. The challenge is helping them find it.

Reinventing The Drinks Menu

For restaurants, this change calls for more than adding one uninspired mocktail at the bottom of the menu.

A modern beverage program should allow customers to move comfortably between full-strength, low-alcohol, and alcohol-free choices. It could offer wine by the glass in more approachable formats, provide informed recommendations without intimidating language, and give non-drinkers the same sense of occasion as guests ordering wine.

Cocktails provide a useful model. Gen Z has shown interest in classics when those classics are personalized, reinterpreted, and connected to a story. During his mixology classes, Guedon begins with established recipes before asking students to give them their own identity. One student transformed an Old Fashioned into a “New Fashion,” using mezcal and different bitters to turn a familiar structure into a personal creation.

This combination of technique, experimentation, and storytelling is also central to MIXIP, the annual student mixology competition hosted at SHMS and organized by Guedon and Gueltzer. The competition challenges modern mixologists to think beyond the conventional cocktail and explore creativity, presentation, and the evolving expectations of the guest. Recent editions have also made space for low- and no-alcohol innovation.

The experience surrounding the glass, such as creativity, flavor, presentation, provenance, and human connection, still has value, whether that glass contains wine, a low-alcohol cocktail, or no alcohol at all.

A Generation Cannot Be Reduced To One Drinking Habit

So, is Gen Z the dry generation?

Compared with Gen X at the same age, the evidence suggests that Gen Z drinks less frequently, takes more breaks from alcohol, and is far less inclined to make intoxication the objective. Health awareness, cost, changing social habits, and a wider choice of beverages all influence that behavior.

But Gen Z is not one homogeneous global market, nor has it abandoned bars and restaurants. Many young adults drink alcohol, explore a broad range of categories, and value social beverage experiences. They are simply less loyal to the products, brands, and conventions that once dominated the industry.

That leaves the wine and spirits sector with an uncomfortable question: Is Gen Z rejecting alcohol or rejecting what the traditional industry is offering?

For restaurants already absorbing the effects of a difficult economy, the distinction matters. Attempting to persuade younger guests to drink as previous generations did is unlikely to reverse declining wine sales. Reimagining the drinks menu might.

“Drink less, but drink better,” Gueltzer concluded.

Perhaps that is not a threat to beverage culture. Perhaps it is an invitation to create a more inclusive, intentional, and engaging one.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What does "drinking less" actually mean for Gen Z?

It can mean several different things: drinking less often, drinking smaller quantities, or choosing lower-strength drinks. It can also mean taking more alcohol-free days, alternating cocktails with non-alcoholic options, or having one carefully chosen drink instead of several. None of these necessarily means rejecting alcohol altogether.

What does Gen Z’s drinking shift mean for restaurants?

It rewards choice over convention. Restaurants that offer a real spectrum, including full-strength, low-alcohol, and alcohol-free, with the same sense of occasion are better placed to win Gen Z’s spend than those relying on a traditional wine list. The opportunity is experience and storytelling, not persuading Gen Z to drink more.

Is a career in food and beverage still worth it?

Yes, though the opportunity is shifting. Nearly half of legal-drinking-age Gen Z had their most recent drink in a bar, restaurant, or club (IWSR), and no/low-alcohol products grew 13% in 2024. Careers favor people who understand choice, pricing, and guest experience. For those who want to lead these changes, the Master of Arts in International Hospitality Business Management at Swiss Hotel Management School is a one-year program that builds the business side of hospitality, including F&B management.