According to this blogger, in 1980 75% of beer in the US was consumed in bars. The figure has now dropped to 25%. I couldn't find any links to confirm the statistic, but I ran across this great Common Sense as Science in my surfing:
[A] study conducted by the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR) followed students in public and private secondary schools throughout the United States. Researchers found that at age 18, 52 percent of men and 48 percent of women surveyed went out in the evening three or more times a week. But by the age of 31 or 32, only 15 percent of men and 11 percent of women still went out that often. . . .
Bachman said the decline is linked to adult responsibilities, not a sign of the times.
The follow-up survey found that the newfound freedoms of young adulthood lead to temporary increases in alcohol and other drug use after high school, especially among those who go out in the evening for fun and recreation.
But the study also found that age and new responsibilities, such as marriage, pregnancy, and parenthood, contribute to subsequent declines in alcohol and other drug use.
"Parenthood reduces substance use of various types," said Bachman.
Link.
When I went to school in Ann Arbor, I went out about four nights a week and rarely went to bed before 2:00 a.m. By the time I was 28 and had two children, I went out about once a week and was usually in bed by 10:00. Now, at age 40 and with seven children, I go out about twice a month and usually am in bed by 9:00. I'm glad I found this study. I was thinking my body was chemically morphing me into a nerd. Now I realize it's somehow related to my status as a parent. Who woulda thunk?
