In recent years, students have been giving up drinking alcohol and turning to other pastimes. Drinking seems to be interwoven with university culture, and one of the biggest sources of excitement (or anxiety) is Welcome Week and its nights out. However, universities around the UK are experiencing a decline in drinking and an increase in demand for sober activities for a myriad of reasons.
The UK has seen an uptick in the portion of students that don’t drink alcohol. According to a survey by the National Union of Students (NUS), in 2016/17 a total of 22 per cent of students did not drink; this included a mix of students who had previously drunk alcohol and those who had never drunk before. In comparison, this figure was at 27 per cent for 2024 (according to a survey by Students Organising for Sustainability UK (SOS-UK)), demonstrating an increase in sober students.
Why this increase? The reasons have fluctuated. One of the most common is the effects of alcohol on students’ health; this came in at 22 per cent in the 2021 SOS-UK survey; students are looking ahead and being more cautious. What came as a surprise was the small number of students who claimed expense as their reason for abstaining from alcohol. Since 2017, that figure has stayed at two per cent, with a one percent increase in 2021. This is particularly surprising because the average cost of drinking has increased, from an average spend for drinks at home of £8.69 in 2017 (according to the NUS survey) to £11.96 in 2021. One first-year student I spoke to reports having spent about £1000 on alcohol during Welcome Week, which did not deter him from spending even more on club entries and other such expenses. The fact that sober students still spend money on non-alcoholic alternatives instead of forgoing the pub scene altogether also points to cost not being a major reason for the decline.
I heard from two second-year students, one who does not drink, and one who is drinking less than she did in her first year, to get their opinion. Jessica Mitchell has a few reasons for not drinking; among them, the rise of violence. She says: “Women don’t want to stay up late”. She is not alone in this sentiment. Camille Chaboureau, a student who reports a decrease in her alcohol consumption, states: “Now that I live far from the center, if I want go out and use the safest way to get home, I have to think about getting an Uber and having enough money for it, or I have to look up bus times.”
The change in drinking habits is not always completely up to the student; sometimes it is imposed on them by their living conditions. Jessica also mentioned the increasing importance of grades, and the desire to not be “messed up for classes”, a relevant reason for avoiding alcohol. In 2024, SOS-UK reports that 38 per cent of students claimed to have missed a university lecture or seminar as a consequence of alcohol consumption. As students’ academic careers become more important, they must begin making sacrifices concerning their nightlife.
I also spoke to Brian Dobie, Operations Manager at The Pear Tree to get his thoughts on the phenomenon. Though the pub’s business has not been harmed by students’ increasing sobriety, it has made changes to accommodate the growing demand for non-alcoholic drink options. A vast array of zero per cent drinks have been introduced, such as zero per cent gin, Guinness, and lagers. These non-alcoholic drink options help students stick to sobriety: “You don’t want to be mocked for what you’re drinking,” says Brian. These drinks help sober students fit in. He claims: “Non-alcoholic beverages are here to stay.”
While students are drinking less, this does not mean nightlife is dying out. A group of first year students I spoke to all claim to have friends or siblings who do not drink but who still join in on nights out, and do not experience judgment for this. With the vast array of sober and daytime activities Edinburgh offers, there truly is something for everyone.
Photo by George Bakos on Unsplash