'Sober socialites': Rise of health conscious millennials who drink just five units of alcohol a week

A new report has been published which claims that millennials are all “sober socialites,” shunning boozy nights out and pub trips for green smoothies (packed with protein and veg rather than sugary fruit, natch) and wellness festivals.

The report, entitled Brighter Futures: Challenging perceptions of Millennials, was carried out by Eventbrite and surveyed 1,023 British men and women aged between 21 and 37.

One of the most striking impressions from the report is the picture it paints of millennials as sober, health-conscious yogis, obsessed with wellness, chia seeds and downward dogs (that’s not what you think it might be, by the way). But is this really the case?

According to the report, the average millennial consumes just five units of alcohol a week, which equates to about two small glasses of wine or two pints of beer. The national guidelines recommend adults drink no more than 14 units a week.

70 per cent of millennials are more likely to brag about how long it’s been since they last drank alcohol than how much they last drank, and apparently only one in ten of us see getting drunk as cool - the rest see it as “pathetic”, “embarrassing” or even “belonging to an older generation”. Ouch.

And alongside our apparent sober ways, we’re more conscious about our fitness, with one in five claiming to go to more fitness classes than they used to.

How are we making time for all these classes? By ditching the boozer, it seems - one in three millennials are going to nightclubs less than before, and one in five are frequenting bars and pubs less often, the report says.

There’s no denying it: being healthy has never been cooler. But are we really drinking that much less? Given the prevalence of pictures of drunken young people in the tabloids, it seems there are still plenty of us getting smashed and making questionable life choices.

Could it be that we’re simply into both? I love nothing more than spending a Saturday night drinking an obscene amount of prosecco but the next day crave a green smoothie and a plate of smashed avo on sourdough (I am also the epitome of basic but that’s literally another article. Yes, literally).

The report claims that only three per cent of people drink less because they’re worried about being seen to be drunk on social media, but this seems remarkably low.

We as a generation were brought up to be paranoid about employers finding us on social media, and as such, it’s not uncommon for people to use their middle name instead of their last name on Facebook and it’s rare to post a photo of you or your friends looking drunk.

That doesn’t mean we’re not getting drunk though. We’re just saving it for Snapchat, which will only be seen by our friends and only for 24 hours.

We’re far more likely to Instagram our salads, smoothie bowls and gym selfies than snaps of the squad looking smashed on a Saturday night.

Whilst we may be drinking less than older generations - which is likely also linked to the fact that we’re poorer - and being sober may be on the up, there are plenty of millennials who still love a drink or five.

We’re just boozing in our homes rather than in pubs and clubs - and we’re not shouting about it. Not publicly, anyway.

As we all know, millennials love their avocado (that’s why we’ll never get on the property ladder, duhh), but actually, plenty of us still love our booze too. Sorry to disappoint, parents.