Cannabis Beverages Can Improve Nightlife, Decrease Loneliness, & Bring Back Social Connection

I’m trying out a new format going forward: I will now create a video essay along with the written format of my newsletter. If you still prefer to read, then follow along below!

Nightlife is declining, loneliness is on the rise, and true social connection feels like it's at an all-time low. Here's why I think cannabis beverages could fix this. Let's outline the problems.

1) People feel lonelier than ever.

A lot of people have remote jobs, there's a heavy reliance on digital interactions, and the high cost of living leads young people to live spread out because they can't afford to live in the city.

58% of American adults are lonely on a regular basis.

73% of Gen-Z reports feeling lonely on a regular basis.

We spend seven or more hours on a screen every day, and in-person socializing is down.

Only 4.1% of Americans reported hosting or going to a social gathering on an average weekend in 2023.

Bars and restaurants are feeling the impact of this shift in lifestyle, as inflation makes everything more expensive and people are just drinking less alcohol in general.

2) Alcohol doesn't appeal to young people like it used to.

People don't drink it as much as past generations, and especially after college is where you see it really start to decline.

Gen-Z drinks 20% less than Millennials.

65% of Gen-Z is planning to drink less in 2025.

39% want to give it up altogether.

Many still want to unwind. They just don't want to deal with the baggage and the hangovers.

I’ve felt these things myself.

I've never worked a fully in-person job, and I've lived in two different cities now since graduation and it's definitely hard sometimes to build those meaningful relationships.

I’ve noticed diminishing returns with drinking too. The older I get, the more the hangovers hurt, and the less the tradeoff really seems worth it.

Older generations went out more and they drank more. It probably wasn't great for their health, but it was social. There was more real-life connection, and the digital world was either emerging or didn't exist.

But how can we bring back that spirit of connection, just in a more modern format?

The Shift

Cannabis beverages are exploding in popularity. Bars, restaurants, grocery stories, and liquor chains are adopting them fast.

Daily cannabis use has surpassed that of daily alcohol use for probably the first time in this country's history.

69% of 18 to 24-year-olds prefer cannabis to alcohol.

38% of Gen-Z wants to try cannabis drinks.

This isn’t some stoner / grass roots movement.

I believe it's signaling a shift to something more mindful and that better fits consumers lifestyles.

The Opportunity

Cannabis beverages may be the light at the end of the tunnel.

They’re an obvious alcohol alternative: they let you let loose, unwind, and socialize, without the hangovers.

They give you something to sip and hold, even if you're around other people that are drinking alcohol, which kind of eliminates that strange feeling of being the odd one out at a social event.

They're often lower in calories and sugar which kind of matches the more health-conscious demographic.

I was just in Charlotte, NC a few weekends ago. After a night out of drinking, I needed a break, but my friends wanted to go to a beer garden. When I looked at the menu, it turned out they had THC beverages on tap. I ended up opting for one instead of a beer.

Experiences like this prove my point: once these are offered in more bars and restaurants, people will choose them, and they will help revitalize these businesses who are feeling the effects of lower alcohol consumptions.

All of these things combined could bring people back out, especially when they know that there's an option for them that makes them feel included.

Having mocktails or NA beer is a good start, and some of them might even taste good, but they don’t provide an effect.

For better or for worse, many people need a social lubricant and a way to unwind, especially with the fast pace and immense pressure of our world.

But let me be clear:

Cannabis beverages are not a silver bullet.

People still need to make an effort to socialize and improve their situations on their own.

However, I do think that this could spark a future where we all feel a bit more connected.