What’s wrong with young people today? They don’t get drunk any more | Richard Godwin

There are plenty of theories to explain falling alcohol use among millennials. But maybe we’re missing the point

You don’t need to spend much time adrift in the 21st-century mediascape to conclude that there is something seriously wrong with young people today. Millennials are more narcissistic, anxious, annoying, entitled, communist and fond of avocados than any generation ever; millennials are killing everything from mayonnaise to diamonds to the car industry; millennials are making everyone else feel bad; millennials – get this! – don’t even drink any more.

The figures just released by the Health Survey for England lend weight to what is becoming a familiar trope. In 2015, one in three 16- to 24-year-olds were completely teetotal, compared with one in five in 2005. Lifetime abstainers rose from 9% to 17%; meanwhile rates of harmful drinking have declined. In 2015, 28% admitted to drinking above the recommended limits; 10 years previously, it was 43%. The 10,000 participants reported that complete abstention was becoming “mainstream”.

Related: Want the truth about alcohol? You won’t hear it from the government | Julian Baggini

Related: Alcohol-free days are a great idea … but I’m not starting today | Stuart Heritage

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2OYkJWJ