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Monday, Dec. 1, 2025

Is Gen Z more addicted to alcohol than any other generation?

Cassis Tingley, The Colorado Sun
no

People in Generation Z have lower rates of alcohol use disorder compared with earlier generations when they were in the same age range.

Excessive drinking among young people, which has historically been higher than among older adults, had been steadily declining for several decades before rising again in 2020. Despite the increase, the rate of excessive drinking among people ages 18-25 was 14.4% in 2024, down from 17.7% in 2002, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration annual reports show.

Gen Z is also drinking less overall. A 2025 Gallup poll found that 50% of people ages 18-34 reported drinking alcohol, compared with 56% of people ages 35 and older. Gen Z includes people ages 13-28. 

Drinking is on the decline for all ages, with the overall percentage of people who drink in the U.S. at an all-time low of 54%.

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