In this guest post, Dr Samanthika Gallage, an Assistant Professor in Marketing at Nottingham University Business School discusses recent research exploring the experiences of young people seeking to moderate or abstain from alcohol use.
In public discourse, moderate drinking is commonly used to describe drinking behaviour that is not regarded as ‘excessive’ or ‘binging’. While the term itself has no clear definition, it is often considered synonymous with terms such as ‘responsible’ or ‘sensible drinking’.
Again, whilst not clearly defined or used in public health, the idea of ‘responsible drinking’ may be seen as drinking which is not harmful to oneself or others, or in some cases, as following the recommend drinking guidelines. However, some argue that it is precisely because of the unspecified nature of responsible drinking, and its emphasis on personal responsibility, that industry affiliated groups often favour such terms.
While there have been significant declines in drinking amongst young people in recent decades, we know little about the personal and social challenges they may face while adopting and maintaining such changes. We sought to explore these by interviewing young people who were actively trying to moderate or abstain from drinking. Drawing on these findings, we identified a number of issues policy makers need to pay special attention to.
Marketing communications from the alcohol industry
Collectively, the alcohol industry in the UK spends on average £800 million per annum on marketing. They extensively use different channels (e.g.: digital media, sponsorships) and often promote alcohol as a glue that bonds people together and as integral to positive social experiences. On the other hand, some alcohol industry groups also use the term ‘responsible drinking’ extensively, suggesting that consumers can and should ‘stay in control’, ‘be responsible’ and ‘drink sensibly’.
Our research however suggests that young people look at these messages with cynicism and do not think that the alcohol industry actually wants people to drink moderately. This may also undermine other public health drinking messages which young people also tend to look at sceptically. Our study also revealed that young people think that unit measurements and health warnings used by public health communicators are unrealistic and distant concepts with little relevance to their lived experiences of alcohol use.
Drinking is closely intertwined with lifestyle and identity
For most of the young people interviewed, reducing or stopping alcohol consumption meant significant changes to their lifestyle and social world. Our research therefore supports the extent to which alcohol consumption is intertwined with social relationships and connections (e.g. friendship groups), consumption rituals (e.g. clubbing), habits (e.g. going out on Fridays in a group) and meanings (e.g. fitting in) that form a significant part of how they see themselves and seek to be seen.
As many social events revolve around alcohol, this inevitably presented challenges to navigating their social worlds. Though some participants tried to build alternative positive identities and social activities (such as going to the gym or travelling) these activities did not necessarily ‘work’ as effective alternatives. For example, embracing a new leisure activity such as exercising does not necessarily provide the same meanings as late night heavy-drinking sessions with friends. As such, not all young people are likely to be attracted to the more recent trend towards positive sobriety. We must therefore move beyond the notion of ‘responsibility’ and pay close attention to the contextual and relational factors around alcohol consumption behaviours amongst different groups.
Meanings associated with drinking and “non-drinking”
Our research suggests that drinking to excess is often seen as daring, rebellious and as a highly pleasurable experience by young people. These positive meanings are reinforced by various media platforms that expose young people to pro alcohol messages. These messages may glamorise drinking and portray a positive image for drinkers, suggesting that drinking contributes to social and sexual success, reduce stress etc. On the other hand, seeing non-drinkers in a negative light such as “boring” or “uncool” may make it more challenging for some young people to resist heavy drinking groups. In such a context, moderate drinking could be seen as challenging especially for some young people.
In conclusion, narratives focusing on individuals being responsible for changing their drinking behaviours might not be effective when devising interventions and policies. This responsibilisation agenda underplays the contextual meanings, role of media, efforts of the alcohol industry and peer influences that shape alcohol consumption. Therefore, policymakers, public health experts and social marketers should pay closer attention to the identity, relational and cultural pull factors for young people as consumers of alcohol.
Further, in order to more effectively support lower risk drinking, a shift in society’s prevailing attitudes and meanings assigned for drinking and non-drinking is still needed. Indeed aspects of the positive sobriety movement may indicate important opportunities. The growth in alcohol-free social spaces and normalising non-alcohol drinks and activities may be yet to appeal to older adults where drinking rates appear to remain stable. Reinforcing the benefits of these new consumption behaviours to create a stronger cultural norm can be partly fostered by messaging but would also be greatly aided by macro level policies that address pricing, availability and marketing practices.
This guest post was written by Dr Samanthika Gallage, an Assistant Professor in Marketing at Nottingham University Business School, and based on research published in the Journal of Marketing Management. The views represented are those of the author.
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