The tendency of so-called Gen Z to avoid drugs and alcohol has been documented for years, to the annoyance of some of their redder-nosed elders, and now about a quarter of under-25s do not drink at all, due to rising awareness of alcohol’s effects on health and the fear of drunken exploits being posted on social media.
Even if the cost of living and the climate both drastically improve, it looks like there could be deeper troubles ahead for pubs and bars unless they can find new ways to adapt. I don’t think it’s people being dry just for January they need to worry about longer term.