Julius Judah, Creative Strategy Director at eight&four, recently contributed to MediaCat, exploring why Dry January is losing relevance with Gen Z and what that shift reveals about changing attitudes to alcohol, wellness and cultural signalling.
For years, Dry January has been positioned as a cultural reset, particularly among younger drinkers. But recent shifts suggest that its hold on Gen Z is loosening, not because attitudes to moderation have disappeared, but because the meaning of moderation itself is changing.
Data shows that participation in Dry January is declining among younger adults, with fewer people committing to a full month of abstinence than in previous years. Rather than signalling a return to excess, this points to a move away from rigid, performative wellness behaviours and towards more flexible, self-directed choices.
Gen Z’s relationship with alcohol is becoming more nuanced. Many are less interested in absolutist rules and more focused on context, experience and personal preference. Moderation still matters, but it is no longer defined by highly visible moments of restraint. Instead, it shows up in quieter, everyday decisions that feel more authentic and less prescribed.
Several cultural factors are shaping this shift. As older Gen Z audiences move into more financially stable life stages, social drinking is becoming more normalised. Post-pandemic socialising has re-centred alcohol as part of shared experiences, while curiosity is driving experimentation across categories, from low and no options to craft, cocktails and international spirits. At the same time, Millennials are increasingly moving in the opposite direction, embracing simpler occasions and reduced consumption.
These patterns challenge the idea of Gen Z as a uniformly sober generation. The reality is more complex. Younger audiences are not rejecting moderation, but they are rejecting the idea that it needs to be signposted, gamified or tied to a single calendar moment.
For brands, the takeaway is clear. Labelling Gen Z as either sober or indulgent misses the point. What matters is understanding how this audience navigates choice, social rituals and self-expression on their own terms. Brands that acknowledge this flexibility, rather than prescribing behaviour, are better placed to stay culturally relevant.
Read Julius’s full article on MediaCat here for a deeper look at why Dry January no longer holds the same cultural weight for Gen Z.
