Generation Z drinking alcohol in moderation or quitting

GP Dr Will Mackintosh said while other generations think of alcohol issues as liver disease, which you get much later in life, younger people see the fuller picture of all the associated dangers – such as taking risks and acting impulsively.

“I was burning the candles at both ends, I was working long days and instead of going home after those shifts I would go out after it,” said Jessie, now 29.

“I would drink the next day to avoid the hangover.

“Then all of a sudden weeks go by and you realise you haven’t had a day go by without a drink.”

Jessie, who lives in Cardiff, said she drank socially from a young age, but it’s when she started working in hospitality she noticed her drinking habits changing, going out after shifts finished.

Then the pandemic hit, which made her drinking much worse.

“I was severely depressed at the time, my mental health was in the bin,” she added.

“I was having panic attacks and anxiety and the only way to mask that was through drugs and alcohol.”