What Is Intentional Drinking? The New Way Gen Z and Millennials Are Rethinking Alcohol

Is Gen Z drinking less? What the new study found

The researchers analyzed National Health Interview Survey data from 2018 to 2024, covering more than 114,000 U.S. adults. Between 2022 and 2024:^[1][2]

• The share of adults who drank any alcohol in the past year fell by nearly 2%.
• The share of adults who drank heavily fell by more than 8%.
• Gen Z adults saw the largest decline in any alcohol use, a drop of more than 5%.
• Heavy drinking among millennials fell by 17%.
• Men showed a larger decline in any alcohol use, while women showed a greater drop in heavy drinking.

Two details keep this from being a simple "sober generation" story. Overall drinking rates are still higher than they were in 2018, and the decline did not hold for older generations.^[1][3]

Put those findings together and an interesting picture emerges. Young adults aren't necessarily done with drinking. They're changing their relationship with it. Drinking can still be part of the night. It just doesn't have to be the entire point of the night.

At Capsulyte, that's the idea we were built on. Physician-formulated by Dr. Dan Nguyen, MD, PREGAME was made for people who still love a night out and would rather plan for it than leave the next morning to chance.

Why is Gen Z drinking less?

The study itself didn't measure why younger adults are drinking less. The lead researcher pointed to the rise of the sober curious movement and growing awareness of how alcohol affects health as possible factors.^[1] Wellness priorities, changing social norms, and a much wider selection of nonalcoholic options are also part of the conversation.

There is another factor changing drinking culture: people care a lot about tomorrow. Workouts are scheduled. Flights leave at 7 a.m. There are meetings, pickleball games, long runs, brunch reservations, ski days, and an inbox waiting Monday morning.

Losing an entire day to the night before has a higher opportunity cost when your life is already packed. You wouldn't start a marathon and then think about preparation at mile 20. So why do we traditionally approach a night of drinking by waiting until the next morning to think about how we're going to feel?

What is intentional drinking?

Intentional drinking means being deliberate about whether, when, why, and how much you drink, instead of drinking simply because alcohol is available or expected. There is no official medical definition. It is better understood as a cultural approach to alcohol.

For one person, it could mean saving drinks for the weekend instead of having wine every night. For someone else, it could mean ordering one great cocktail instead of four average ones. It might mean alternating alcohol with water, eating before going out, setting a limit before the night begins, or skipping drinks entirely when you have an early morning.

And sometimes intentional drinking means deciding: tonight, we're going out. The difference is that you've made that decision consciously, and you've thought about tomorrow before the first drink is poured.

Mindful drinking vs. sober curious: what's the difference?

The terms overlap, but they aren't interchangeable.

What does sober curious mean?

Being sober curious generally means questioning your relationship with alcohol and experimenting with drinking less or not drinking at all, without necessarily committing to sobriety.^[4][5]

What is mindful drinking?

Mindful drinking usually refers to paying closer attention to why and how you're drinking, including your motivations and how you feel while you drink.^[4]

Where intentional drinking fits

Intentional drinking can encompass both ideas while leaving room for people who still enjoy drinking. You can love a martini and drink intentionally. You can go to a wedding and drink intentionally. You can have a big Saturday night and still approach alcohol differently than you did five years ago.

How to practice mindful drinking before your first drink

Most traditional next-morning routines are reactive. You wake up feeling terrible, then start looking for water, electrolytes, coffee, greasy food, or whatever trick someone swears by. Intentional drinking flips that timeline. Instead of asking "How do I recover tomorrow?" you start asking "What can I do before I drink?"

• Eat a real meal first. Drinking on an empty stomach hits harder and faster.
• Decide roughly how much you want to drink. A simple framework like the 0-1-2-3 drinking rule makes it easy.
• Alternate with water or a mocktail. This habit has a name, zebra striping, and it naturally slows your pace.
• Order the drink you actually want. Pick the cocktail you're excited about rather than joining every round.
• Make your transportation plan before you leave.
• Give yourself enough time to sleep. Curious why a few drinks make you drowsy? Here's why alcohol makes you sleepy.
• Take your PREGAME before your first drink.*

What mindful drinking looks like on a Saturday night

Imagine it's Saturday. Your friends want to go out. You want to go out too. Intentional drinking doesn't require you to stay home.

Maybe you eat dinner instead of accidentally making two espresso martinis your dinner. You take your PREGAME before you leave. You order the drink you actually want rather than automatically joining every round. You have some water. You know how you're getting home. And at some point, you decide you're done.

That's intentional drinking. Not perfect drinking. Not sober drinking. Not boring drinking. Just drinking with tomorrow in mind.

Drinking less doesn't mean having less fun

One of the more interesting changes happening around alcohol is that moderation no longer has to mean opting out of nightlife. You can be sober curious without being sober. You can drink less without quitting drinking. And you can care about your health while still enjoying cocktails, celebrations, and late nights. Those ideas aren't mutually exclusive.

At Capsulyte, we think the best nights are the ones you don't have to regret the next morning. That means knowing when you want to drink, knowing when you don't, and when you do decide to go out, thinking ahead.

Maybe the future of drinking isn't about drinking more. And maybe it isn't about never drinking again, either. Maybe it's about drinking on purpose.

Pregaming, redefined: where PREGAME fits into intentional drinking

For years, "pregaming" meant squeezing in extra drinks before heading out. The intentional drinker's pregame looks different: a real meal, a ride home already sorted, a plan for how the night will go, and a supplement taken before the first round.

That's exactly why we named it PREGAME. It was created around a simple premise: your next morning shouldn't be an afterthought.

Most hangover supplements are something you reach for after you wake up. PREGAME is designed to be taken before and during drinking. The physician-formulated supplement combines NAC, DHM, Siliphos®, and Clovinol® to support your body's natural processes, made for your nights out.*

For the proactive approach, Capsulyte recommends taking two capsules approximately 30 minutes before your first drink and another two with your last drink.* That timing is intentional. You're planning ahead before the night starts, not leaving the next morning to chance. For more ideas on building your routine, see what to take before drinking alcohol.

PREGAME isn't permission to drink excessively, and no supplement makes alcohol risk-free. It's simply another way to think ahead once you've already decided you're going to drink.