This is a repository copy of Why is adolescent drinking declining? A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Young people's drinking is a matter of social, media, and political concern and the focus of much policy activity within the United Kingdom. Little consideration has been given to the fact that some young people choose to drink little or not all and our knowledge and understanding of their choices and how they manage not drinking is limited. Nor has much attention been paid to the possibility that the insights of young light and non-drinkers could be useful when thinking about how to change the prevailing drinking culture, but if we are to gauge and engage with the current culture of consumption then we need to understand all parts of it. This qualitative study of young people (aged 16-25) who drink little or no alcohol aimed to further understanding of their lives and choices. The results highlight that choosing not to drink or drink lightly is a positive choice made for diverse reasons with the strongest messages and influences coming from real-life observations. Young people develop strategies to manage not drinking or drinking lightly. Alcohol education messages need to present not drinking as a valid option to young people, parents, and society more broadly.

Binge drinking is a matter of current social, media and political concern, and the focus of much policy activity in the UK. Binge drinking is associated with causing a wide range of harm to individuals (e.g. accidents), and the wider community (e.g. crime and disorder). Within the current discourse, binge drinking is seen primarily as a youth issue. Binge drinking is sometimes portrayed as a recent phenomenon, but we know from history that heavy drinking has been endemic in British society over many centuries. Using a contemporary history perspective, this paper explores the concept of binge drinking. It considers the definitions in use, recent shifts in meaning and also the way in which different definitions of binge drinking impact on perceptions of the extent and nature of binge drinking. The paper concludes with some thoughts and questions about the usefulness of the concept of binge drinking as it currently used, and areas for further research.

In Britain, there have been a number of changes in young people's drinking patterns over the last decade. Of most concern is the em ergence of a`binge' drinking culture. W hile there are considerable descriptive data on these changes, there has been little research which seeks to explore them from the perspective of young people themselves. By drawing on the drinking experiences of a sample of 40, young (16± 24), white, males and using a youth transitions fram ework, this paper develops a m odel of eight drinking styles to describe the m eaning young men attributed to their drinking behaviour. The m odel illustrates that the young men's motivation for drinking and their resulting drinking behaviour changes with variation in context. Differences occurred in drinking style in accordance with drinking venue, drinking com panions and drinking time; and with changes in age and status.