Americans are drinking less alcohol
Listen to the story (Canadian accent)
Many Americans are now drinking less alcohol and trying non-alcoholic drinks that resemble alcohol.
A study by NC Solutions found that 41% of people want to reduce their alcohol intake in 2024. The study asked 1,000 Americans over the age of 21 about their drinking habits.
Gen Z has started a trend called the “sober curious” movement. Jordan Bass, co-founder of Hop WTR, says their customers are usually between 24 and 45 years old and care about their health.
Many people from Gen Z choose not to drink alcohol to take better care of their mental health. But they still enjoy non-alcoholic drinks like mocktails and non-alcoholic wine and beer.
About 58% of Americans say they are drinking less alcohol to improve their health, lose weight, and save money. Hop WTR was launched in August 2020 by Bass and his business partner, Nick Taranto. They wanted a drink that was low in calories and sugar. Hop WTR makes non-alcoholic sparkling drinks.
Bass said that many of their customers are trying to drink less alcohol, but 80% of Hop WTR’s customers also drink alcohol. They sometimes choose non-alcoholic drinks because they don’t want too many carbohydrates. Some of them even drink both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks on the same night.
Bass explained that half of Hop WTR's customers are men and half are women. Of the women who had a baby in the past year, 25% said they drank non-alcoholic wine, beer, or spirits while they were pregnant or nursing.
Vocabulary27 words
- Alcohol
- A drink like beer or wine that can make people feel relaxed, excited or aggressive
- Non-alcoholic drink
- A drink that doesn’t have alcohol in it
- Resemble
- To look like or be similar to something or someone;
- Study
- the activity of examining/studying something in detail to discover new information; research; investigation
- Find
- realize; learn; discover;
- Reduce
- to make less; make smaller; decrease; bring down; shrink
- Intake
- The amount of something you eat or drink
- Habit
- a usual way of behaving; something that a person does often in a regular and repeated way; a thing that you do often and almost without thinking
- Gen Z
- People who were born from the mid-1990s to the early 2010s;
- Trend
- something that’s popular or becoming popular
- Sober curious
- Choosing not to drink alcohol on purpose; Wanting to stay away from alcohol or be mindful of how much you drink
- Movement
- a group of people working together to achieve a common goal or to make a particular change
- Co-founder
- someone who starts a company with one or more other people
- Health
- How well your body is working; a person's mental or physical condition;
- Mental health
- the health or status of our emotions,thoughts, and feelings; the health or condition of our mind
- Mocktail
- A drink that looks like a cocktail but doesn’t have any alcohol
- Improve
- to make something better
- Lose weight
- To become lighter by eating less or exercising more;
- Launch
- start selling something; introduce a new product or service; to start using a new thing
- Business partner
- Someone you work with to run a company
- Calorie
- a unit used in measuring the amount of energy food gives you when eaten and digested
- Sparkling drink
- A drink with bubbles, like soda;
- Carbohydrate
- A nutrient in foods like bread and rice that gives us energy; The kind of energy your body gets from bread, pasta, and rice
- Explain
- to make something clear or easy to understand
- Spirits
- alcoholic beverages such as whiskey, vodka, or gin
- Pregnant
- when a woman has a baby growing inside of her
- Nursing
- When a mother feeds her baby with her milk
Quiz
Answer key
1. Non-alcoholic sparkling drinks 2. 80% 3. False
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Many _____ are now drinking less alcohol and trying non-alcoholic _____ that resemble alcohol.
A study by NC Solutions found that _____% of people want to reduce their alcohol intake in 2024. The _____ asked 1,000 Americans over the age of 21 about their drinking _____.
Gen Z has started a trend _____ the “sober curious” movement. Jordan Bass, co-founder of Hop Wtr, says _____ customers are usually between 24 and 45 years old and care about their _____.
Many people from Gen Z _____ not to drink alcohol to take better care of their mental health. But they _____ enjoy non-alcoholic drinks like mocktails and non-alcoholic _____ and beer.
About 58% of Americans say they are drinking _____ alcohol to improve their health, lose weight, and _____ money. Hop Wtr was launched in August 2020 by Bass and his business _____, Nick Taranto. They wanted a drink that was low in _____ and sugar. Hop Wtr makes non-alcoholic _____ drinks.
Bass said that many of their _____ are trying to drink less alcohol, but _____% of Hop Wtr’s customers also drink alcohol. They _____ choose non-alcoholic drinks because they don’t want too _____ carbohydrates. Some of them even drink _____ alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks on the same _____.
Bass explained that half of Hop Wtr’s customers _____ men and half are women. Of the women who had a _____ in the past year, 25% said they drank non-alcoholic wine, _____, or spirits while they were pregnant or nursing.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think people might choose to drink less alcohol?
- What are your thoughts on the “sober curious” movement started by Gen Z?
- What are your opinions on non-alcoholic drinks like mocktails and non-alcoholic wine and beer?
- Do you think the trend of non-alcoholic drinks will continue to grow? Why or why not?
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