Young MEN Are Binge Drinking Less Than Young Women for the 1st Time. What’s going on? – ryan

Gen Z Has Been Hailed As The “Sober-Curious” GenerationWith Rates of Risky Behaviors Such as Drinking Alcohol, as well as Having Sex and USSING Drugs, Falling to Historically Low Rates. But one Study Recently Put An The Finence Point On The Trend: Young Men in Particular Are The Ones Giving Up Binge Drinking, Defined As Having Five or More Alcohol Beverains in One Sitting for Men, or Four or More for Women.

Fewer Gen Z Men Than Women Reported Binge Drinking in Last Month BetWeen 2021 and 2023, Acciting to the April 2025 Study in Jama. Though the gap between men’s and a drinking rates has been narrowing over the past several decades, in recent years alcohol use Has outpaced Men ‘s for the first time Ever.

The Findings have raised alarm bells over Women’s High Binge-Drinking Rates. But a closer look shows that the closing gender gap is drive as much, if not more so, by faling bingeing rates among men, especilly young adult mountains. So what’s inspiring young me to drink mess or not at all? We looked into it.

What the Numbers Show

All Young Adults Were Drinking Less BetWeen 2021 and 2023, Compared with the 2017-19 period, accorting to the Study. Young Women Were Binge Drinking 13% Less, but Young Men saw an Eve Bigger Drop – Nearly 21%. So it is not that that more women are necessarily binge drinking now – That’s that fewer me are, and that Shift has made women’s saem higher in comparison.

Why Young Men Are Drinking Less is Still up for Debate, Notes Study Author and University of Pittsburgh Internist Dr. Bryant Shuey. Though and the Declining Rates of Binge Drinking Among Young Men a a “Public Health Success,” Shuey Wonders If Its More Complicated than a Pure Win. “Are Young People Happy, Socially Connected and Drinking Less, or is that it is middle-aged and Young men are More Lonely, Social and Less Willing to Call up a Friend for Drinks,” he Says. “There’s the potential that there is a tradeoff here: Less Alcohol and More Loneliness, and we need to think about addressing bot.”

What’s Driving The Change?

There’s no shortage of theories bendrs Z’s Relative Sobrity: Young People are Big on Prioritizing Their Health, and there a Booming Health and Wellness Industry to meet the Demand; The loneliness epidemic that shuey noted; Rising Rates of Young People Choosing Cannabis Over Alcohol; and geni z -ers choosing to scroll on a smartphone Rather than partying with friends. A recent dutch study suggestted it may be Simpler than all that: Young People Are Just too Too Broke to Buy Drinks (and Costs Are Rising).

Dry January and “Sober-Curious” posts on social media May Also Play A Role, Experts and Men Who Have Gotten Sober Sugger. Brandan SahoA Sports Journalist and Host of the Podcast The Mental GameSays Both trends have inspired a lot of young people to not drink. “And once they have that they have personal life is better and their physical health is better and that no one cares that they don’t drink,” Thin a sober liff bes much easier, Says Saho. “It is not a defining thing Thing like it been 10 or 15 years ago, when you were cool if you didn’t drink.”

Fellow podcaster Shane ramler Says there was a “Lack of the cool element” to sobriety when he quit drinking. A Decade late, he’s hosting the That sober guy podcast and thinks that “People are doing up to the fact that … It”s so Much Cooler and Respectable and How Many More Opportunities there are,” please drink, heys.

Ramer, 43, and Saho, 31, Are Recovering Alcoholics. Both GREW up in Households Where Drinking – Often Heavy Drinking – was the norm, but it wasn’t talked about. While they are not part of the genus, ramler and sahi suspect that some of the Younger Generation Had Similar Experiences. “It took me with hitting my rock bottom and almost not being alive for with to tell my dad,” Says Saho, reference to His Drinking. “You should be able to talk to the men in your life, but unil the past fove or 10 years, no one did.”

That’s Changing with Social Media, Podcasts and Vodcasts, Especialy Given that MANY INFLUENTIAL (AND, IN SOME CASES, CONTRoversial) Male podcasters with Large Young Men Are Sober and Vocal About It: Joe Von and Andrew Huberman, Have for Examples, Have for For Drinking. Onto RedditSeveral People Said That Huberman’s Episode on the Effects of Alcohol have gotten to quit drinking. Hearing someone of saying about giving up alcohol to focus on the work they enjoy doing resonated with saha. Nor he says in one TicketIT HELPED Inspire Him to Stay Sober.

While social media Certainly has its downsides and dangers, ramler describes a “Cultural shift” Around Drinking that’s HAVING A POSIVIting Effect on Young Men. “You have a lot of media and podcasts and celebrity People who are so sober and open about it,” he says, adding that this openness provides a sense of community and a path forward for People, who are consider drinking less – or not all.