Sober Curious (Sober Curious) is a term that combines sober, meaning ‘clear-minded’, and curious, meaning ‘inquisitive’, and it refers to an attitude that questions drinking and becoming intoxicated. Rather than following a drinking-centered culture where ‘it is natural to drink’, it is a lifestyle trend that prioritizes personal condition, preferences, and health, and reduces or avoids alcohol consumption.

Recently, this shift has been particularly noticeable among Gen Z. They place greater importance on how they will feel the next day than on the mood of a drinking occasion, and on self-care and health rather than the pleasure of getting drunk. Choosing not to drink or to drink less is no longer a special declaration; it has become a matter of personal taste and way of life.

This graphic analyzes why Gen Z has become the ‘generation that does not get drunk’ by dividing the reasons into four categories, and examines the changing drinking culture through related statistics, including a decline in the average daily alcohol intake among people in their twenties.