Jenna Delgado

Britt Rosenstein working out at her local gym

Boca Raton – As Britt Rosenstein finishes the last reps of her favorite workout, she wipes the sweat off her face with a smile. With a clear mind and warmed-up body, she’s now ready to conquer her day.

Rosenstein, 22, avoids alcohol to stay productive and reach her fitness goals. She binge drank in college and said the habit made her feel like she was losing herself. Her workouts were not as effective.

“I didn't like the image it portrayed. It was not the person I am. It's also something that I commit to every day, and it's a choice,” she said. “It's not even something I question anymore. It's a habit. Every day, you brush your teeth—that's how I treat fitness and my mental well-being too.”

Young adults have long congregated around alcoholic beverages. But today, some Gen Zers like Rosenstein are choosing to go out sober or drink in moderation.

EduBirdie found that 63% of Gen Z respondents said they plan to quit drinking. A 2025 Gallup study reported that 50% of Americans ages 18 to 34 drink alcohol, a decrease from 72% two decades ago.

Experts say there isn’t one single cause behind this shift away from alcohol. However, there is a recurring theme: a push toward wellness, both physically and mentally.

Dr. Konstantin Lukin, founder of Lukin Center for Psychotherapy in New Jersey, said more Gen Z individuals identify as “sober-curious.”

“I think they're more interested in and open to creating a lifestyle they truly want, and it sounds like it’s a healthier lifestyle,” Lukin said.

This shift away from alcohol extends beyond the United States.

Abi Stevely, a research fellow at The University of Sheffield in England, specializes in public health. Through her data analysis, she said young people are drinking less in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, and Australia.

“It’s a culture of caution,” Stevely said.

This trend can also be seen among Gen Z students at The University of Tampa.

Twenty-year-old sophomore Lauren Williams avoids alcohol to stay fit. She said she tries to keep her body healthy by primarily consuming protein, walking 10,000 steps a day, and working out at the gym.

“To see the difference that putting so much effort and time into your health makes in your whole life is incredible,” Williams said. “I think a lot of people don't realize how much it contributes to the bigger picture.”

University of Tampa sophomore Lauren Williams, 20, working out at the campus gym

Williams said that instead of going out drinking, she would rather relax at home and watch a movie with friends.

“I think it's important for everyone to realize that it's okay to be sober,” Williams said. “It's your life at the end of the day. It's your health.”

The University of Tampa senior Grace Idevaio, 21, limits her alcohol consumption to one or two drinks when going out to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Idevaio works out every morning. She said she cannot motivate herself to go to the gym after a night of drinking.

“It makes me feel gross,” she said. “I just don’t think it fits me or my lifestyle.”

Grace Idevaio, 21, University of Tampa senior

Idevaio said she gained weight and often felt bloated after drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. She said she would rather drink beverages that make her feel good, such as matcha or coffee.

Sophomore Tabitha Swansen, a 19-year-old psychology major, also chooses wellness over alcohol.

“I don’t have time to be hungover,” Swansen said. “I want to get up. I want to get that workout in so I can be present for all the other things I need to accomplish that day.”

Tabitha Swansen, 19, University of Tampa sophomore

Amy Pennay, 44, an associate professor at The Centre for Alcohol Policy Research at La Trobe University, said that rather than going out drinking and socializing with friends, some Gen Z individuals are more focused on studying and prefer staying home.

“They're so reflective and thoughtful about their bodies and their futures,” Pennay said. “They're thinking about things beyond simply having fun in the moment, which is what many people in my generation focused on.”

Although fitness is a large part of Swansen’s life, she also stays sober to remain focused on her academic goals. Through her studies, she learned how harmful alcohol can be neurologically.

Lukin said alcohol can impair long-term memory.

Data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism show other negative health effects that can result from drinking alcohol, including mood swings, difficulty thinking, loss of coordination, damage to major organ systems, and an increased risk of cancer.

“I need my brain for schoolwork,” Swansen said. “I would never want to consume anything that could harm my academic performance.”

Swansen is a resident assistant on campus. Her responsibility to document underage drinking has led her to associate alcohol with punishment.

When Swansen goes to dinner with friends who are drinking, she said she often orders a mocktail.

Like Swansen, Rosenstein drinks mocktails when she goes out. A club soda with lime is her favorite. She said she only drinks alcohol on special occasions and always in moderation.

While some Gen Z individuals stay completely or somewhat sober, others choose cannabis over alcohol.

A Sanctuary Wellness Institute survey found that 33% of Gen Z Americans use marijuana.

Twenty-three-year-old Land O’Lakes resident Gabriel Carrera avoids alcohol for fitness reasons like many Gen Z individuals, but prefers cannabis to help manage his anxiety.

“It calms my nerves after a stressful week,” Carrera said. “Whereas alcohol makes my mood more irritated and inconsistent, and with the aftereffects, it’s just avoidable.”

After drinking alcohol, Carrera said he often feels weak. As a mixed martial arts athlete and bodybuilder, he needs his strength to succeed every day.

“Alcohol limits me.”

Carrera after a three-hour MMA training session

Like Rosenstein, he drinks occasionally at social events with friends, usually while watching live MMA fights together at a bar.

“If I needed alcohol to have a good time, then realistically, I’d just be forcing myself to be in a situation I wouldn’t necessarily enjoy in the first place.”

Experts say that although Gen Z avoiding alcohol is a step in the right direction, relying on other substances such as cannabis is not necessarily healthy. They say remaining sober from all substances, including alcohol and cannabis, is best for the body.

Studies and previous reporting show that avoiding alcohol and cannabis can improve cognitive restoration, sleep cycles, major organ function, mental and emotional stability, and physical appearance through weight loss and enhanced fitness.

As more young people prioritize health and wellness, their personal choices are reshaping social habits.

Industry and behavioral research show that Gen Z spends about 20% to 30% less on alcohol in nightlife settings compared to older generations.

To meet demand, some bars now offer nonalcoholic beverages.

In Seminole Heights, Velvet Gypsy offers a mocktail menu and an assortment of nonalcoholic wines, champagne, and beer, giving people who avoid alcohol many options to choose from.

The owner of the bar, Moe Pickering, said any drink on the cocktail menu can be served without alcohol. She said the nonalcoholic beers are among the bar’s bestsellers, and she strives to provide options for everyone.

Velvet Gypsy mocktail menu

“I think what a lot of bars and restaurants are trying to show is that it's okay if you don't want to drink,” Pickering said. “You should still be able to go out, spend time with your friends, and feel included. But a lot of times, people feel that if you're not doing what everyone else is doing, then you're the outcast.”

Pickering said most customers who purchase nonalcoholic beverages appear to be in their mid-to-late twenties, falling within the Gen Z demographic.

THC seltzers are also included on the nonalcoholic menu. Pickering said they are among the bar’s most popular beverages.

Velvet Gypsy THC seltzers and nonalcoholic beers, bottom right

“They really like those cocktails because they help them relax.”

Some bars do not sell alcohol at all.

Previous reporting shows sober bars emerging across the U.S. in states such as New York, Georgia, California, and Florida.

Nonalcoholic options such as coffee, mocktails, kava, CBD drinks, zero-proof cocktail bitters, and kombucha can be found on menus at select bars.

The decision by many Generation Z individuals to avoid alcohol signals what could become a broader cultural shift—one focused on health, control, and intentional living over the social norms of the past.

Lukin said he believes this trend will continue among Gen Z individuals.

“If a habit has already been established, it is more likely that that person will continue living that type of lifestyle.”

From The University of Tampa to cities around the world, young adults are redefining what it means to go out, relax, and socialize. And for many, that no longer includes alcohol.

Erin Saintil, LCSW, BCBA, CCTP, ERPSCC, Founder, NEUROLEASE

You are in your worst nightmare—trapped inside your own trauma, unable to escape. Pain pulses through your body.

Then, a woman’s voice cuts through the chaos. Another woman massages your skin.

You take a deep breath and begin to feel at peace. Soft music soothes you, and the scent of lavender lingers in the air. You open your eyes to a dim, bohemian room.

For the first time, you feel safe.

Erin Saintil (left) and Tara McHugh (right), a licensed massage therapist, perform NEUROLEASE at Tara J. McHugh Massage Therapy

“Your Neurolease treatment is complete,” says Erin Saintil, smiling.

Saintil, 55, is the founder of Neurolease—a specialized treatment designed for trauma survivors that combines talk therapy and massage therapy in a single session. While clients share their experiences with Saintil, a licensed massage therapist works to calm the body’s stress response.

“I activate their nervous system by talking to them,” Saintil said, “and then the massage therapist helps reset it.”

For Tara McHugh, the licensed massage therapist who has worked with Saintil for five years, the results are remarkable after each session.

“She’s almost like magic,” McHugh said. “You can feel when a client finally lets go of something they’ve been holding onto for years.”

One former clinical psychologist, Tara P., said her Neurolease outcomes exceeded her expectations.

Saintil’s friend of 20 years, Julie S., said the treatment helped alleviate her IBS and PTSD. She believes she could not have healed without Saintil’s support.

“She lights up a room,” Julie said. “She finds positivity in every nook and cranny.”

Saintil’s work is deeply rooted in her life experiences. A board-certified behavior analyst and founder of Collaborative Therapeutic Services, she studies behavior and develops solutions when dysfunction is present.

Her methods are something you experience the moment you step into her office.

Clients take a seat on a couch that feels like home. Saintil’s Labrador retriever, Dexter, enters the room, radiating positive energy. The air smells clean, and the sun’s warmth streams through large windows. The silence is calming. Relaxed, the client is ready to begin their talk therapy session.

Saintil working at her practice, pictured with her behaviorally trained dog, who sits in during client sessions

The calm she creates today was born from a past that was far less peaceful.

Saintil relates to her clients’ trauma through her own hardships. Her life changed overnight.

It was a bright, sunny day in 1995 in the Bronx, New York. Saintil was awakened in her bedroom by six men armed with guns and knives.

She couldn’t help but think of a joke.

“What kind of reputation do I have that you need six people to wrangle me?” she remembers thinking.

The men tied Saintil up and placed a gag in her mouth. Her boyfriend—who had put his hands on her the night before—was hog-tied and pistol-whipped on the couch.

Helpless, the couple watched as the men ransacked the apartment before leaving abruptly.

Saintil managed to call the police while still restrained, but the call was dismissed as a prank. The men were never identified.

The trauma remained. Consumed by fear and anger, she made the decision to move.

“I realized, if I don’t get away from this environment, I’m going to become a very mean person,” she said.

Eleven months later, Saintil moved to Tampa, Florida, to start a new life. She explored belly dancing, equestrian jumping, tax collecting, and bodybuilding. In 2007, she founded her own therapy practice.

By stepping away from her past, Saintil found the clarity to begin understanding it. She realized that her clients’ bodies often react before their brains can process emotional distress.

“They feel crazy and isolated, like I did,” Saintil said. “The body is firing off alarms, so nothing makes sense. You have to calm the body down to relax the brain.”

This insight became the blueprint for Neurolease, developed in 2018.

Saintil’s empathy extends even further. To better relate to her first responder clients, she participated in a firefighter simulation.

“The smoke was so thick I couldn’t see my own hand in front of my face mask,” she said.

Saintil dressed in firefighter gear for a simulation

Saintil treats her clients’ trauma as if it were her own.

She continues healing others while raising her children as a single mother. In 2001, she began fostering. Thirteen years later, she adopted her two children as toddlers—both orphans from birth who had been placed in multiple foster homes.

“By the time I got them to daycare, I had already been peed on, kicked, and bitten,” Saintil said. “They were both very traumatized and intense.”

Parenting her children requires the same compassion she gives her clients. She ensures they receive the support they need through various therapies.

Becoming a mother was not easy for Saintil. After struggling with severe endometriosis, she underwent a radical hysterectomy. Her decision to adopt reflects her own childhood—she grew up with an adopted brother.

That same sense of empathy and responsibility was evident long before her present-day role as a mother.

Saintil began helping others early in life. Her mother encouraged her to volunteer in prisons and nursing homes.

Those experiences gave her a unique perspective—she knows firsthand what it is like to be a mental health client.

As a child of divorce, she experienced different forms of therapy, often testing her limits.

“I’d plan how I was going to behave just to mess with the therapist,” she said. “Then one day I thought, maybe I should try being in their shoes.”

That curiosity became her calling.

Today, in addition to running her practice, Saintil serves as an expert witness. She studies the trauma of inmates to better understand behaviors associated with criminal activity and helps determine whether they are fit for rehabilitation. This work can be dangerous.

During one session, a schizophrenic inmate’s demeanor suddenly shifted—her instinct was to leave the room immediately.

“I went out, and I was shaking in the car,” Saintil said.

Still, she remains dedicated. Saintil believes many inmates were dealt the wrong hand in life—they just need guidance in the right direction.

Her work demonstrates that trauma can be overcome.

“I love helping people,” Saintil said.

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – As the statewide drought in Florida intensifies, hundreds of wildfires have ignited. One wildfire burned through the Big Cypress National Preserve on Feb. 22, with more than 35,000 acres of land turned to a crisp—about twice the size of Manhattan—for approximately nine days. The fire rapidly grew, interrupting traffic on Interstate 275.

The fires span the state, from South Florida to the Panhandle. In Panacea, a wildfire ravaged 5,000 acres of land—roughly the size of John F. Kennedy International Airport. In Calhoun County, a 500-acre wildfire burned down 16 homes. On the Florida-Georgia border, a 4,000-acre wildfire ignited on April 3.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 67% of Florida has been experiencing extreme drought conditions as of early March. The conditions fueling these fires stretch far beyond a single region.

The Florida Forest Service documents about 20 active fires throughout the state on a daily basis. During the last week of February, a total of 617 fires were suppressed.

Experts say they haven’t seen conditions like this since 2001.

David Zierden, a climatologist at Florida State University, said fires like the one in Big Cypress are worse than usual this year because of the dry conditions, which increase the likelihood of large wildfires.

Zierden said the Big Cypress fire is out of the norm.

The severe dry period began following Florida’s 2025 hurricane season.

Zierden said the drought is a result of the absence of hurricanes, following unusually cool waters in the Gulf. From June through November, potential storms shifted to the East Coast instead of making landfall in Florida. In addition, the current La Niña phase in the Pacific Ocean has led to a dry winter, causing temperatures to drop to life-threatening levels from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3.

The resulting fires prompted state officials to take action.

On Feb. 9, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 67 counties to address the extreme drought and an estimated 120 wildfires. This declaration empowers the governor to enforce emergency policies for the safety and protection of affected counties. The total number of fires increased to about 650 by late February.

Paul Close, lead forecaster for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said these weather conditions dry out vegetation. Data from the National Interagency Fire Center show that trees, grass, and brush lose moisture and die.

Karl Grooms, a farmer at Fancy Farms in Polk County, said he lost nearly 75% of his strawberry harvest to cold weather this year.

“Most of my crops froze three weeks ago, and I’d usually have red berries to pick today or tomorrow. But they’re dead,” Grooms said.

Dead crops don’t just hurt farmers—they become highly flammable fuel for wildfires.

“Any little spark or ignition source can generate a fire, which can be devastating,” said Jason Kreisle, senior forest ranger for Pinellas and Hillsborough counties with the Florida Forest Service.

As dry conditions worsen and wildfires continue to spread, the National Weather Service issued Red Flag warnings for 33 Florida counties in the final week of February.

Close said this alert is issued when humidity levels drop to 35% and winds reach speeds of 15 miles per hour or greater, allowing wildfires to spread rapidly.

Wildfires during these conditions pose a high risk not only to plants but also to animals, infrastructure, and people.

According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, habitats and food sources are lost in the flames, forcing animals to relocate to unfamiliar areas. This exposes them to dangers such as starvation, predators, and traffic. Some wildlife can also become trapped in fires, leading to death.

On Feb. 26, in Brevard County, a fire burned across 20 acres, forcing two people to evacuate their home.

Another fire nearby ignited at the same time near Holy Trinity School, prompting a shelter-in-place order.

As of March 5, the Florida Forest Service issued burn bans in 32 counties, forbidding residents from outdoor burning to prevent further spread. Violators may face fines of up to $500 or jail time in some areas, including Highlands and Polk counties.

Kreisle said public cooperation is critical.

“It’s about people being vigilant and not burning anything or doing any activities outside that could create a fire hazard,” Kreisle said.

The National Weather Service advises homeowners to clear gutters and yards of debris such as pine needles, sticks, and leaves. Trees six to 10 feet tall should be trimmed, and households should have a disaster plan in place. People in high-risk areas should avoid using charcoal grills and disposing of cigarettes outdoors.

Experts say the extreme dry conditions and their consequences are unlikely to improve until Florida’s summer rainy season begins in late May or early June.

“It could get worse before it gets better,” Zierden said.

Big Cypress National Preserve wildfire 

U.S. Drought Monitor map of Florida

Dry, dead grass in Pasco County, FL.

Dead harvest, Fancy Farms.

Florida Forest Service map of current county-enacted burn bans