Gen Z Wants Better Nights Out: The UK and US Still Mean Very Different Things by ‘Healthier’ Clubbing

Gen Z has its fair share of unique obstacles, with the cost of living putting pressure on their spending power, and the job market also throwing a spanner in the works of their long-term plans.

For a time, it seemed like these factors were also changing their partying habits, encouraging them to avoid the excesses of older generations while still having fun after dark. However, youngsters on different sides of the Atlantic have since diverged on this cultural trend. So, what separates clubbers in the UK and the US in terms of their ‘healthy’ approach to nightlife?

Britain’s Return to Booze & Drugs

As young people in the UK enter their early 20s, binge drinking becomes a prime way to pass the time, and Gen Z are now out-drinking Millennials when they were a similar age, according to researchers. This is a significant shift from earlier studies, which found a steep decline in alcohol consumption in this age group, driven by costs and a renewed emphasis on healthy living.

Hard drug use is also up among Gen Z Brits, with almost a third reporting that they take substances like cocaine and ketamine recreationally. Ketamine in particular has become a party drug of note in the past decade, and admissions to ketamine detox programmes are at record levels as a result.

So, for some UK youngsters, ‘healthy’ clubbing might be accurately described as choosing illegal drugs over alcohol, switching empty calories for potential long-term health risks as well as acute dangers.

America’s Abstinence

While Britain’s Gen Z population has left the strictly healthy approach to clubbing behind, America’s under-35s seem to be staying the course and prioritising abstinence in a leisure context. Last year, almost two-thirds of people in this group planned to reduce their alcohol intake, and since doing so can save thousands of dollars if you’re a regular club attendee, there’s a real economic incentive behind this.

Meanwhile, healthy living trends, often perpetuated by social media influencers and the ever-increasing need to look good in public and online, mean more American Gen Z-ers are making an active choice to avoid drinking and drugs. This translates into a rise in clubbing experiences built around health-driven demands, such as those that do not serve alcohol in any form, and clubs set up to run earlier in the day and close well before the usual early-hours kicking-out time.

The Long View

There’s no getting around the fact that drinking and taking recreational drugs in clubs will continue both in the UK and the US, regardless of external factors and cultural trends. What’s interesting is the extent to which young people in either country choose to follow these trends or give in to these pressures.

The rise of ketamine as a party drug in Britain typifies how difficult it is to predict where trends will go and how the youth will respond. So long as there is adequate support and information available to help those who follow the wrong path, successive generations should be as well protected as possible.