08/12/2025

Ahead of Dry January, Gen Z interest in monthlong abstinence stalls

Gap between Gen Z and general population drinking rates shrinks further

8 December 2025 (London) – Monthlong abstinence is becoming less popular among Gen Z legal drinking age (LDA+) drinkers in several key markets around the world, according to the latest IWSR Bevtrac survey of consumer behaviour, published today.

The number of Gen Z LDA+ drinkers in the UK who reported abstaining from alcohol for a month or longer during the past six months dropped from 33% in Autumn 2024 to 24% in Autumn 2025. An even larger fall was recorded in Australia, where monthlong abstinence take-up over the same period among Gen Z LDA+ drinkers shrank from 39% to 24%.

Monthlong abstinence spells such as Dry January or Sober October are especially popular among younger drinkers but declines in monthlong abstinence among Gen Z were registered in most of the fifteen markets surveyed. These include France (from 32% to 24%), Italy (from 26% to 16%) and Brazil (from 39% to 35%). In the US, the trend flatlined rather than declined, with a marginal drop from 32% to 31%. The only market to show a significant increase in monthlong abstinence among Gen Z LDA+ drinkers was Mexico, which moved from a 31% uptake in Autumn 2024 to 35% in Autumn 2025.

Across all fifteen markets combined, participation in monthlong abstinence among Gen Z LDA+ drinkers fell slightly from 30% in Autumn 2024 to 28% in Autumn 2025.

The popularity of temporary abstinence of any length also appears to be stalling across all age groups. In the Autumn 2025 survey, 39% of all adult drinkers across all fifteen markets reported engaging in temporary abstinence for one day or longer in the past six months. This is down from a recent increase, from 40% in Autumn 2024 to 41% in Spring 2025.

Individual markets where uptake in all temporary abstinence is faltering include the US (from 40% to 38%) and the UK (from 39% to 35%).

Gen Z LDA+ participation in beverage alcohol normalizes

After significant increases over the past two years, the Gen Z LDA+ drinking rate has stabilized and is gradually converging with the drinking rate of the general population.

In Autumn 2025, 74% of Gen Z LDA+ respondents reported drinking in the last six months, up slightly from 73% recorded in Spring 2025. While not a significant change, the Gen Z LDA+ beverage alcohol participation rate remains substantially higher than Spring 2023, when only 66% reported drinking in the past six months.

The gap between drinking rates for Gen Z LDA+ and all adults (recorded as 77% in Autumn 2025) now stands at just 3%. This is down from the 9% gap recorded in the Spring 2023 survey, and is the smallest gap ever recorded by Bevtrac.

Individual markets with notable increases in Gen Z LDA+ drinking rates include the UK (up to 79% in Autumn 2025 from 76% in Spring 2025 and 66% in Spring 2023) and Taiwan (up to 78% in Autumn 2025 from 67% in Spring 2025 and 61% in Spring 2023).

Millennials are starting to moderate

Millennials remain the generation most engaged with beverage alcohol, but several moderation trends are emerging.

In Autumn 2025, 81% of Millennials reported drinking in the last six months, down from 83% in Spring 2025. This is the lowest rate of participation in beverage alcohol among Millennials ever recorded by Bevtrac.

Millennials also reported drinking a declining number of categories of beverage alcohol per occasion. Across all fifteen markets, the number of categories consumed by Millennial drinkers at their last occasion dropped from an average of 2.8 in Autumn 2023 to 1.8 in Autumn 2025.

American Millennials are also increasingly likely to drink at home rather than go out. The number of Millennial drinkers in the US who reported their most recent occasion at a pub, bar, nightclub or restaurant dropped from 41% in Autumn 2024 to 36% in Autumn 2025.

Insights

Speaking of the latest Bevtrac survey findings, IWSR President and Managing Director Marten Lodewijks said:

“Temporary abstinence appears to be less central to moderation strategies than it once was. This is especially the case among Gen Z LDA+ drinkers, who have always been its most enthusiastic adopters.

“Moderation is still an important trend across the entire beverage alcohol industry, but performative abstinence periods are less of the driving force they once were. Instead, consumers moderate by drinking less often and, when they do drink, they tend to drink less. This is partly driven by shifting attitudes and social trends, but it’s clear that declining disposable income is also a key factor.

“Gen Z LDA+ continues to converge with the general population when it comes to drinking habits. We expect the already small gap to shrink further as more of Gen Z enters the full-time workforce.

“American Millennial drinkers are becoming more likely to stay home with friends and family to drink than to go out to bars, clubs and restaurants. This is likely being driven by wider affordability issues, but, with the oldest Millennials in our survey turning 44, it may also just be the result of entering middle age.”

About IWSR: For over 50 years, IWSR has been trusted by the leaders of global beverage alcohol businesses as an integral part of their strategic planning and decision-making processes. We uniquely combine proprietary longitudinal market data, consumer insights and AI-enhanced data science, with valuable on-the-ground human intelligence in 160 markets worldwide, to decipher what is really happening in the global beverage alcohol market. With access to our data, clients from across the drinks industry, including multinational spirits, beer, and wine businesses; packaging and ingredient manufacturers; distributors; and financial institutions, plan their strategies and future investment with a reliable, consistent and complete understanding of the global landscape.

Notes to journalists:

Marten Lodewijks, IWSR President and Managing Director, is available for interview. Please use the contact details below to make an interview request.

Bevtrac consumer insights are derived from twice-yearly quantitative online surveys conducted in 15 global markets (the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, South Africa, India, China, Japan, Taiwan, and Australia) with a total sample of n = >26,000 qualified respondents.

For Autumn 2025, IWSR defines generational cohorts as: