While I understand Gen Z’s motivation around cutting out alcohol, I also understand that, particularly during COVID, many Americans turned to their bar cart to quiet their minds and liven up their stay-at-home routine (and probably only added to Gen Z wanting to kick booze to the curb). In fact, according to the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, from March to September 2020, liquor store sales increased by 20% compared to the same period in 2019.

However, in South Africa during the same period, the country banned alcohol sales to prevent folks from gathering in large groups. Eventually, prohibition ended, but the impact went far beyond the country’s residents. The alcohol industry in the country employs hundreds of thousands of people, not to mention The Western Cape produces some of the best wine in the world.