In the last year, 8.4 million Australians have considered or consumed a low alcohol and non-alcoholic beverage instead of an alcoholic drink – equivalent to 42% of the population, according to data from brand tracking platform, Tracksuit.
Young Australians are leading the sober revolution charge with over half (53%) of 18- to 34-year-olds saying goodbye to beer, cocktails and wines, preferring to drink zero alcohol alternatives in the past year.
A leader in the non-alcoholic beer movement is Heaps Normal, recording 10% growth in awareness by 18- to 34-year-olds from November 2023 to March 2024.
Heaps Normal chief brand officer, Tim Snape commented on how greater access to zero alcohol alternatives has driven a huge change in alcohol consumption.
“Younger Australians have become more conscious about their alcohol consumption than older generations. While Gen Zs are generally more socially aware and health conscious, there are far more options when they’re socialising, meaning they’re less likely to fall into bad habits unlike older demographics,” he said.
“Historically, it was hard to come by an alternative for a full-strength beer. Today, you’d struggle to find a bottle-o or pub that doesn’t have a non-alcoholic beer option. Providing an abundance of zero alcohol options is supporting healthier habits for younger generations.”
Tracksuit head of marketing, Mikayla Hopkins (pictured) said the data confirms that non-alcoholic drinks are taking Australia by storm.
“This shift in drinking habits is fueling the expansion of the alcohol-free industry and it’s showing no signs of slowing down, especially among the younger generation who are leading the sober revolution charge. What exactly is driving the uptake? There are a number of things at play,” she said.
“In recent years there’s been a huge societal movement towards health and wellness, with many now beginning to weigh up whether a boozy night is worth the impact it can have on the body. In this digital era, people have more access to new information about wellbeing and what unhealthy habits, like binge drinking, can have on the mind and body so often, the decision to choose a zero percent is for more health conscious reasons.
“What’s more, booze-free options are simply more accessible these days with a growing number of options at consumer’s fingertips. Traditional, old-school alcohol brands are shaking it up, bringing out new lines of non-alcoholic options. While newer brands such as Heaps Normal and Naked Life create their own mark with a solely boozeless offering.
“As industry growth is set to keep going, here at Tracksuit we’re expecting the ‘target consumer’ to become broader, product offerings to increase, and for marketing strategies to evolve alongside this category development.”
Emmie Hwang, who has been sober since 2021 said her decision was driven by her health-conscious approach after being prone to ‘hangxiety’ after a night out.
“Although the positives outweigh the negatives of going sober, it can turn into some awkward conversations or moments like when I go out for work drinks or on a date and someone asks if I want a drink. It’s not that I think people judge but more that there is certainly a drinking culture in Australia,” she said.
“There are many good non-alcohol alternatives out there where I don’t ever feel like I’m missing out on anything whenever I’m at an event and other people are drinking. I’ve noticed that a lot of my friend group have also followed suit and gone sober or just had alcohol less often, so I believe it’s become a trend for people my age. A lot of it has to do with the cost of living being so high currently that it’s become too expensive to drink, but it also takes up a lot of free time on your weekends.”