America’s drinking patterns are diverging, with clear distinctions emerging across generational lines.

Amidst discussions about a potential decline in the alcohol industry, a more nuanced picture emerges: while younger generations are cutting back on alcohol, older generations are consuming more.

Despite a decrease in overall drinking, the U.S. alcohol market remains robust, generating billions in revenue and sustaining over four million jobs.

The nation’s alcohol consumption recently hit its lowest point since record-keeping began in 1939, largely due to Gen Z’s shift towards healthier lifestyles.

Some in this younger cohort are adopting ‘nonna maxxing,’ a lifestyle trend that values early bedtimes, home-cooked meals, and moderation over excessive drinking.

Gen Z still like to drink, according to the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD). Two-thirds still say alcohol is part of social occasions, and many are simply changing how and when they drink.

Trends like ‘zebra striping’ – alternating alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks – are gaining traction, allowing people to stay social while cutting consumption. 

Another shift is to day caps from nightcaps. A 2026 survey found 34 percent of legal-age Gen Z drinkers now prefer daytime drinking over late nights – protecting sleep, workouts and morning routines. 

Gen Z consumers, such as Daniella Sansotta (pictured) are embracing ‘nonna maxxing’ – a lifestyle trend centred on slower, more mindful living inspired by the habits of an Italian grandmother

Gen Z consumers are turning away from drinking in favour of more health-conscious choices 

Heineken has said it will cut up to 6,000 jobs globally as a result of changing tastes

Julian Braithwaite, CEO of IARD, said: ‘Moderation has gone mainstream. 

‘What we’re seeing is not a decline in social drinking, but a shift toward more intentional, balanced consumption, where people are choosing when and how alcohol fits into their lives.’  

Savvy bar owners and brands are meeting this trend head-on with recent launches like Absolut Tabasco, a brunch-focused vodka, and Malibu Pink, a guava-infused spirit that gives off afternoon vibes. 

Bars are opening earlier, extending happy hours and expanding food and low- and no-alcohol options.

Last month, Heineken unveiled a beer with zero alcohol, zero sugar and zero calories – aimed squarely at younger, health-conscious drinkers.

The Dutch brewer pioneered the US non-alcoholic beer boom with Heineken 0.0 in 2019, which was booze-free but still had sugar and calories. 

Heineken 0.0 Ultimate goes a step further and highlights how far the market is shifting. 

Non-alcoholic beer has surged in recent years, with US sales rising 159 percent between 2021 and 2025, as demand for lighter options grows.

Heineken released its ‘great tasting’ alcohol-free brew, complete with zero calories and zero sugar

‘The market believes there has been a structural change,’ said Barclays analyst Laurence Whyatt. 

Neighborhood bars and local venues are seeing renewed interest, particularly among younger consumers. 

They are looking for cheaper, more relaxed alternatives to expensive nights out – that involve taxis, entry fees and eye-watering prices for cocktails.

More than half of Americans now consider themselves regulars at a local bar or restaurant, according to OpenTable.   

But at the same time, drinking among older Americans has climbed steadily over the past two decades. 

Nearly 60 percent of adults aged 55 and over now drink – up from around half in previous decades – with those over 65 now drinking at higher rates than the national average.

In an incident that unfolded last week in Florida, Tiger Woods found himself in a precarious situation after crashing his SUV. As revealed by body camera footage released on Thursday, Woods, facing arrest for a DUI charge, informed a deputy, “I was just talking to the president.”

Although the conversation itself wasn’t captured, the footage records Woods saying, “Thank you so much,” before ending the call as the deputy approached. It remains uncertain whether Woods was speaking to President Donald Trump, even though Trump’s former daughter-in-law, Vanessa Trump, is currently in a relationship with Woods.

Following Woods’ arrest on March 27, Trump addressed the situation, expressing his concern to reporters: “I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty. Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person. Amazing man. But, some difficulty.”

The White House has yet to respond to inquiries about whether Trump indeed spoke with Woods following the incident.

The video also highlights Woods’ apparent shock as he was handcuffed after failing a sobriety test. Further footage from the patrol car captures the golfer hiccupping, yawning, and seemingly drifting in and out of consciousness during the 15-minute journey.

Woods told authorities he was looking at his phone and changing the radio station when his speeding Land Rover clipped the back of a truck and rolled onto its side on a residential road on Jupiter Island. No one was injured.

“I looked down at my phone, and all of a sudden — boom,” Woods told an officer as he knelt on a lawn, prior to his arrest.

Body camera footage shows Martin County Sheriff’s Deputy Tatiana Levenar then conducting a roadside sobriety test and telling Woods: “I do believe your normal faculties are impaired, and you’re under an unknown substance, so at this time you’re under arrest for DUI.”

“I’m being arrested?” Woods responded.

“Yes, sir,” Levenar said.

After handcuffing Woods, authorities searched his pockets and found two white pills.

“That’s a Norco,” Woods said after an officer pulled out the pills, referring to a painkiller that contains acetaminophen and the opioid hydrocodone. Authorities would later confirm that Woods was in possession of hydrocodone.

In the body camera footage, Woods told Levenar that he had not drunk any alcohol and that he had taken “a few” medications earlier in the day, though Woods’ words are muted in the released video as he describes some of the drugs.

At the sheriff’s office complex, after Woods was escorted into the “DUI room” where drivers are tested for being under the influence, Woods said, “I’m not drunk. I’m on a prescription medication,” according to a supplemental sheriff’s office report released Thursday.

Woods, 50, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to suspicion of driving under the influence. He posted a statement Tuesday night saying that he was stepping away indefinitely “to seek treatment and focus on my health.”

Woods agreed to a Breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but he refused a urine test, authorities said. Under a change to Florida law last year, refusing an officer’s request to take a breath, blood or urine test became a misdemeanor, even for a first offense.

During the field sobriety test, deputies noticed Woods limping and that he had a compression sock over his right knee. Woods explained he had undergone seven back surgeries and over 20 surgeries on his right leg, and that his ankle seizes up while walking.

Woods, who was hiccupping during questioning, continuously moved his head during one of the sobriety tests and deputies had to tell him several times to keep his head straight, according to an arrest report.

“Based on my observations of Woods, how he performed the exercises and based on my training, knowledge, and experience, I believed that Woods normal faculties were impaired, and he was unable to safely operate the motor vehicle,” Levenar wrote.

Woods is the most influential figure in golf and has become as recognizable as any athlete in the world. The first person of Black heritage to win the Masters in 1997, he has captivated golf fans with records likely never to be broken.

His injuries have kept him from accomplishing more, including from a 2021 Los Angeles car crash that damaged his right leg so badly he said doctors considered amputation. He has not played an official event since the 2024 British Open. He was recovering from a seventh back surgery in October and was trying to return at the Masters, where he is a five-time champion.

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The father of a victim in the notorious “Texas Killing Fields” cold case revealed that he had unknowingly interacted with the newly indicted suspect numerous times before the man’s arrest.

James Dolphs Elmore Jr., aged 61, faces charges of manslaughter and felony evidence tampering in connection with the death of Laura Miller, as announced by the Galveston County District Attorney on Tuesday, March 31. Additionally, Elmore is accused of tampering with evidence related to the murder of Audrey Cook.

Tim Miller, the father of Laura Miller and founder of Texas Equusearch, disclosed that he had encountered Elmore on multiple occasions over the past four years.

“I probably met him 20 or 30 times,” Miller shared with reporters, according to an article in the Houston Chronicle.

The Galveston District Attorney’s Office states that James Dolphs Elmore Jr., 61, is formally charged with manslaughter and felony evidence tampering in Laura Miller’s case, along with a charge of evidence tampering in Audrey Cook’s murder. (FBI; Obtained by FOX 36)

Miller, whose 16-year-old daughter was among the victims found in the “Texas Killing Fields,” said Elmore would approach him and talk about the case.

“He reached out to me,” Miller said. “For what reason, I don’t know.”

Miller said that some of those conversations included details about the killings that were not widely known.

“He knew things,” Miller said, according to the Chronicle. “Some of it wasn’t public.”

The remains of Laura Miller were found in an area along Calder Road, known as the “Texas Killing Fields,” in February 1986. (FBI; Obtained by FOX 36)

At the time, Miller said he did not suspect Elmore.

“You don’t think this guy could be involved,” he said. “You’re thinking, here’s somebody who wants to help.”

Only after the recent indictment did the conversations take on new meaning.

“Now you look back, and it’s like, wow,” Miller said. “Was he telling me what he did?”

“I trusted him,” he said. “I really did.”

The body of Audrey Lee Cook was found in the “Texas Killing Fields” in 1986. (FBI; Obtained by FOX 36)

The charges stem from the infamous “Texas Killing Fields” murders, in which the bodies of about 30 women and girls, including Audrey Cook, Laura Miller, Donna Prudhomme and Heidi Fye-Villareal, were found near Calder Road in League City between the 1970s and 1990s.

For decades, authorities have worked to determine who was responsible. In 2024, the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office reopened the case.

William Reece pleaded guilty in 2022 to murder stemming from the deaths of Laura Smither, Kelli Cox and Jessica Cain, according to FOX 26.

Clyde Hedrick, who died last month, was also long suspected in the murders of numerous women in Calder Road Field, according to the outlet. 

Elmore was taken into custody and denied bond Tuesday evening.

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An insider from the Trump administration has refuted explosive allegations suggesting that Pam Bondi was dismissed for allegedly informing Rep. Eric Swalwell about the FBI’s intention to release documents connected to his ties with a suspected Chinese spy.

The source revealed to The Post that although President Trump holds Bondi in high personal regard, he had been dissatisfied with her performance and had contemplated her departure for a considerable period.

“The president has been mulling over this decision for a long time,” the insider stated.

This denial comes in response to a report by the Daily Mail, which suggested Bondi’s termination followed internal disputes, including suspicions that she had tipped off Swalwell about FBI actions concerning documents linked to his past interactions with alleged Chinese intelligence agent Christine Fang, referred to as “Fang Fang.”

The report also claimed that Bondi “pleaded” with Trump to change his mind about her dismissal.

However, Micah Beasley, a spokesperson for Swalwell’s campaign for California governor, denied that the congressman was given any insight into the release of FBI records.

“We had no heads-up by anyone in the administration. None,” Beasley wrote in an email to The Post.

“These stories would be laughable if not so outrageous. An administration that is now at 33% approval is looking to blame anyone but the right people — themselves.”

Bondi’s ouster follows months of friction within the administration. Her tenure had been under scrutiny over the Justice Department’s handling of records tied to serial pedophile and financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will serve as acting attorney general while Trump considers a permanent replacement.

The firing marks the second cabinet-level departure in recent weeks after Trump dismissed Kristi Noem, who was secretary of Homeland Security.

Last week, Noem’s husband, Byron, outed for living a double life as a cross-dresser with a fetish for grotesquely oversized breasts.

Swalwell’s past ties to Fang have been a source of concern for years, as she assisted the congressman’s 2014 congressional campaign with fundraising and helped place an intern in his office before federal authorities intervened.

Following an FBI probe that did not lead to any charges, the House Ethics Committee closed an investigation into Swalwell’s dealings with Fang without releasing any findings.

Federal officials have said Chinese operatives like Fang often seek to build long-term relationships with political figures through fundraising and networking, with the goal of gaining influence rather than pursuing immediate criminal activity.

The possibility of releasing the FBI file has injected new political tension into the matter, with critics arguing the move could be used to damage Swalwell, while supporters contend the public has a right to see the information.

Swalwell held a brief news conference Monday in San Francisco accusing FBI Director Kash Patel of a “horrendous abuse of power” in digging up the investigative files, and he issued a cease-and-desist letter.

“This case is closed,” Swalwell said. “The bureau said, over 10 years ago, all we did was help [with the investigation].”