Millennials Don’t Get Drunk Anymore Because It’s ‘Uncool’
Getting drunk is so last generation, according to a survey of 1,023 millennials who whined that it’s something “pathetic” and “embarrassing” their parents used to do. A staggering 90 percent of those interviewed voiced disapproval of the habit and disdain for the messy practice of drinking to get drunk.
Researchers believe that the habitual shift comes from a corresponding shift in coping mechanisms — that Generation X couldn’t talk through their issues, so they drowned them instead. But as Nichi Hodgson, a dating expert involved in conducting the study, points out, “Younger people don’t want to cover up their problems with drinking and drugs, they want to face them.”
The report revealed that millennials are actually drinking less, too. The booze hating isn’t all just talk — on average they drank just five units of alcohol per week, which equates to around two glasses of wine or two pints of beer. For all the flack millennials get for their recklessness and unhealthy habits, that number is shockingly low. Ninety percent of those surveyed confessed they had never passed out from drinking.
If not booze, what are millennials looking for when they go out? Evidently, they stated they’d rather spend on wholesome endeavors like wellness and food festivals instead.
Festivals were a particularly strong draw — surprising, since they used to entail weekend-long excuses to binge drink to the tune of EDM. But the definition of a “festival” has been evolving towards wellness with the changing generation. Forty-two percent of millennials say they’re drinking less alcohol than they were three years ago — and spending time at festivals that aren’t as focused on getting wasted.
The study’s participants were just as likely to spend a weekend at a food, fitness, or other wellness-oriented festival as they were your typical music fest — and a fifth have gone through entire weekends of festivals completely sober.
From a health standpoint, this is probably a good thing. Not only are millennials becoming more adept at working through their emotions, they’re also avoiding the very real health consequences of regular binge drinking. Perhaps this study offers some new insight into ways millennials are growing to become healthier than their parents.
Article Source: https://www.thedailymeal.com/healthy-eating/millennials-don-t-get-drunk-anymore-because-it-s-uncool/092617
Image Source: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03381/drink2_3381465b.jpg
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Whine (v.) ~ to complain or protest in a childish or annoying fashion
2. Pathetic (adj./ informal) ~ miserably inadequate
3. Staggering (adj.) ~ astonishing or deeply shocking
4. Disdain (n.) ~ the feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one's consideration or respect contempt
5. Flack (n.) ~ strong criticism
6. Adept (adj.) ~ very skilled or proficient at something
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. Do you agree that drinking is becoming less common for the younger generation? Discuss your answer.
2. For some people, drinking is a way to de-stress and cope with everyday life. What are the healthier ways of relieving stress?
3. What is the difference between social drinking and getting wasted?
4. What differences have you noticed between the drinking habits of the older and younger generations?
