The sober generation myth takes a hit
For years, headlines painted Gen Z as the generation that killed the bar crawl: more mocktails, more sober curious TikToks, less booze than millennials or boomers ever drank at the same age. New research is complicating that story. Rates of drinking among young Canadian adults have climbed and are now sitting much closer to the rest of the adult population than the sober generation narrative suggested.
What the numbers actually show
The shift doesn't mean Gen Z is out-drinking older generations. It means the gap many assumed existed, driven by years of think pieces about zero-proof cocktail menus and dry January going mainstream, is smaller than expected. Alcohol consumption among adults in their late teens through twenties has ticked upward, putting them on similar footing with the broader drinking population rather than standing apart as uniquely abstinent.
Why the myth took hold in the first place
Part of the confusion came from real trends that got overstated. Non-alcoholic beer and wine sales have genuinely grown across Canada, and bars in cities from Toronto to Vancouver added more zero-proof options to their menus over the past few years. Social media also amplified a vocal subset of young people choosing sobriety, making it look like a generational shift when it may have been a smaller but louder movement. Public health messaging around alcohol's risks, paired with a rise in fitness and wellness culture, added to the perception that young Canadians were turning away from drinking altogether.
What this means going forward
For public health officials and researchers, the finding is a reminder to look past viral trends when tracking real behaviour. It also has implications for how alcohol is marketed and regulated in Canada, since assumptions about a shrinking young drinker base could affect everything from advertising strategy to how provinces approach alcohol policy. If Gen Z's drinking habits are converging with the rest of the population rather than diverging from it, that changes the calculus for both industry and public health planning.
The bigger picture
The research pushes back on a narrative that had become almost accepted wisdom: that a health conscious, wellness driven generation was simply drinking less. The reality looks messier and more familiar. Young adults in Canada, like generations before them, are still reaching for a drink, even as non-alcoholic options sit right next to it on the menu.
Source: CBC News
