The UK has been blindsided by a new crisis, which threatens to flip our entire way of life upside down: the death of Prysm nightclub.

Cutting down on drinking, or even abstaining completely, is growing in popularity for students across the UK. Bars, pubs and clubs are beginning to feel the effects of this shift in attitude, as they scramble to continue enticing young people out. So much so that earlier this year Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced ‘The London Nightlife Taskforce’, uniting the heavyweights of the capital’s club industry with the goal of resuscitating its sputtering nightlife which is in desperate need of CPR.

With a task force having to be deployed to rescue nightlife, the question must be asked: why are Gen Z drinking and partying less?

Not so long ago, student life was as, or even more, synonymous with drinking culture as it was with actual academics. However, Gen Z is beginning to defy this trend and is working towards decentring drinking from university life.

One area in which student drinking is at its most potent is society socials. From initiations to drinking challenges, socials are a chance for members of a society to form stronger bonds (for better or for worse). Normally this is done with the aid of alcohol, the ultimate social lubricant, but what if it didn’t have to be? In Durham, more and more societies are embracing socials where drinking is not the sole focus, or even completely sober ones. Bar crawls are being replaced by café crawls, and big nights out are being traded for film nights in.

Not so long ago, student life was synonymous with drinking culture

Furthermore, with the university cracking down on the excessive drinking that can be encouraged by societies and banning socials from taking place in student housing, it seems that alcohol is becoming less and less central to the experience of making friends at uni.

However, it’s not just big nights out like society initiations that are threatened by this new trend: the Nationwide Student Index notes that students are taking a more general step back from drinking, with many preferring a night in with friends without alcohol.

For many, this decision is motivated by a desire to lead a healthier life. Alcohol is linked to several health-related issues, among them poorer sleep, weight gain, and liver problems. Cutting back on alcohol also benefits your mental health, as there is no longer the blurry panic of hangxiety to loom over a night of social interaction. It’s not so surprising then thatmany students are experimenting with abstaining from alcohol, with challenges like Dry January becoming more popular amongst young people.

There is, however, one glaring reason not yet discussed why Gen Z is choosing to cut back on drinking: the cost. Not only is going out getting pricier but, with the cost-of-living skyrocketing, for many students drinking is starting to feel like an extravagance they can no longer justify. Among rising costs of food, energy, and housing, not to mention tuition fees, drinking has become a luxury to indulge less and less frequently. This, of course, has a knock-on effect on the nightlife industry. After Durham staple Klute closed temporarily at the start of Easter Term last year, students rallied around their beloved Worst Nightclub in Europe and the club reopened in October 2024.  

For many students, drinking is starting to feel like an extravagance they can no longer justify

It would be difficult to argue that drinking culture is not still a huge part of university life, despite Gen Z beginning to interrogate their relationship with alcohol. According to Accommodation for Students’ Student Blog, Durham students spend £59.70 a month on alcohol. Nevertheless, Gen Z’s shifting attitude to drinking might not come down so much to an element of choice, with the rises in the cost-of-living forcing many students to reassess their expenses at university. After all, when it comes down to going to Tuesday night Jimmy’s or not being launched into your overdraft, the decision feels like it’s been made for you.

Nevertheless, these new tendencies don’t necessarily spell the death of nightlife: if clubs and pubs are ready to adapt, we could be entering a new era where students have a more nuanced relationship with drinking.

Image: ericbarnes via Pixabay