Don't get me wrong. I love an ice cold beer. That refreshing fizz. The shock of bitterness. It's an instant party for the palate.

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I just can't abide alcohol. Haven't been able to stomach it for years, not since a bad flu knocked me flat for a couple of weeks and for some unknown reason cruelled my taste for it.

There's no Dry July for me because there's no need for it. Every month is dry. But thanks to clever brewing techniques catering to people like me, good non-alcoholic beer is now relatively easy to find. And if your finances run to it, there are some excellent craft beers sans alcohol out there.

Heaps Normal is one of my favourite brands and not just because it's beer tastes so good. The name itself is a drawcard, normalising the act of drinking beer without getting drunk. Its entry into the crowded marketplace six years ago reflects a shift in Australia's drinking culture, led by Millennials and Gen Zers who are drinking much less than other generations and showing it is possible to wean the nation off alcohol.

A Flinders University study found that members of Gen Z are 20 times likely to not drink alcohol than Baby Boomers. Millennials are also less likely to drink alcohol than Boomers.

"Younger Australians are growing up in a different world - one where abstaining from alcohol is increasingly normal, and where digital socialising, rising living costs, and health awareness are reshaping how people spend their time and money," wrote study co-author Dr Kirrily Thompson.

Before you call me a wowser consider this. The estimated cost of alcohol consumption to the Australian economy per year is $75 billion, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Healthcare,........

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