Living a sober lifestyle comes in and out of fashion over time, with a range of cultural and economic factors influencing its popularity for each generation.
At the moment, we’re seeing sobriety entering an upward trend on both sides of the Atlantic, although the catalysts and healthcare repercussions differ. Here’s a look at the facts and figures behind this emergent movement.
The UK’s Sober Generation
While Britain traditionally has a reputation as a hard-drinking nation, Gen Z is changing this. A study from The Times found that 20% of youngsters don’t consume alcohol at all. That’s a far greater proportion of teetotallers than in older generational groups.
Yet more research shows that those who do drink are doing so less frequently. Only 10% of Gen Z respondents to a BMJ survey said they consume alcohol at least 3 times a week. For the over-65s, that proportion is 37%.
Of course, the healthcare costs of alcohol misuse are still steep, and even sobriety trends among the young can’t diminish this. One 2024 report estimated that the economic burden totals £27 billion ($36 billion) a year. That’s a 37% increase compared with the government’s 2003 figures.
£3 billion alone comes from emergency room visits caused by inebriation, and over 10,000 people die of health issues related to alcohol annually.
Other substances have also grown in popularity among younger generations in this period, with ketamine singled out as a prime concern. In the past decade, its use in the UK has rocketed by 252%. One healthcare professional cited by the Guardian said ketamine-related hospital admissions in their facility went from just 11 for the entirety of 2021 to 50 for the first six months of 2025.
As a consequence of this shift, the UK has seen an increase in the number of providers offering ketamine addiction treatments to those who need them. It’s a reflection of how important adaptability is in an industry that must be agile.
Overall, though, the sobriety trend is ongoing and measurable in official statistics. Drug misuse-related hospital admissions were down by 47% compared with 10 years ago in recent NHS research. So while the costs and consequences are still steep, they are at least going in the right direction.
Sobriety in the USA
There’s a mixed picture in the US when it comes to sobriety, both in terms of who’s drinking and how much it’s costing. Alcohol has increased in popularity as a whole, but the under-35s are again consuming less than their parents and grandparents. In fact, 38% of Gen Z-ers said they don’t drink in one 2023 Gallup study. Back in 2003 this was at 28%.
Once again, the healthcare costs of alcohol abuse and drug abuse are still significant. In 2017 this was pegged at $13 billion annually. And unlike the UK, the US has the opioid epidemic to contend with. Official White House figures put the annual costs of this in 2023 at $2.7 trillion, of which 10% is accounted for by healthcare expenditure.
Wrapping Up
Both the UK and the US are trending towards sobriety, and there’s no doubt about that. However, this trend is inconsistent depending on the types of substances you consider and the groups you scrutinize.
It’s clear that healthcare providers must remain agile to ensure emerging issues like ketamine and opioid abuse in their respective countries are taken seriously. This is the only way to both provide the right types of support affordably and ensure problematic trends are nipped in the bud.