Being a non-drinking student: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Abstract

Recent research suggests that safer student alcohol consumption might be assisted by understanding how social occasions are managed by non-drinkers. In-depth, semi-structured interviews with five 19-22 year old non-drinking English undergraduates were subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). We present five inter-linked themes: 'living with challenges to non-drinking'; 'seeing what goes on in drinking environments'; 'dealing with conversations about non-drinking ('making excuses vs. coming out')'; 'knowing which friends care about you'; and 'the importance of withholding "legroom" for peer pressure'.Participants felt under persistent peer scrutiny (as a form of peer pressure) and could feel alienated in drinking environments. Talking about non-drinking was characterised by whether to 'come out' (as a non-drinker) or 'fake it' (e.g., 'I'm on antibiotics'). Loyal friendships were reported as particularly important in this context. The decision not to drink was experienced as providing a successful buffer to peer pressure for former drinkers. Our findings unsettle traditional health promotion campaigns which advocate moderate drinking among students without always suggesting how it might be most successfully accomplished, and offer tentative guidance on how non-drinking during specific social occasions might be managed more successfully. Findings are discussed in relation to extant literature and future research directions are suggested.

Hello Sunday Morning: Strategies used to support temporary alcohol abstinence through participation in an online health promotion program

“…One of the main concerns raised by HSM users was that it is difficult to be a non‐drinker in a society where drinking is not just normative, but expected. Some participants reported feeling socially stigmatised, as has been found in other research . In previous research, FebFast participants reported the impression that they had violated social norms through inadequate participation in collective drinking occasions and ritualised celebrations, and disrupting group dynamics and social expectations.…”

“…Previous research has suggested that whilst battling the temptation of drinking, non‐drinkers also have to concern themselves with how their decision not to drink affects others . In an Australian study, non‐drinking participants attempted to either conceal or present their non‐drinking in such a way as to avoid challenging social norms around drinking (such as pretending to be drinking alcohol or making up a “culturally legitimate” health excuse), but many stopped socialising with the same group of people over time and instead focused on activities that did not involve alcohol…”

“…While evaluation of Dry July suggests positive outcomes, this is a relatively new field of research, with more work required to investigate how individuals negotiate short‐term periods of abstinence, particularly in light of qualitative research that suggests embarking on a period of temporary abstinence is challenging and that non‐drinkers are stigmatised in some contexts . For example an Australian study reported that refusing a drink threatened social expectations and rituals, with some participants sensing disapproval for violating social norms .…”

“…For example an Australian study reported that refusing a drink threatened social expectations and rituals, with some participants sensing disapproval for violating social norms . Similarly in the UK, some non‐drinking participants reported experiencing alienation in drinking environments . Such challenges are likely to render the task of abstaining difficult, and it is important to understand how individuals who participate in periods of abstinence experience and overcome such barriers.…”

Efficacy of a non‐drinking mental simulation intervention for reducing student alcohol consumption

“…Results from neither the LGC nor intention to treat analyses offered support for hypothesis 2: Completing both mental simulation exercises did not lead to steeper rates of change in drinking behaviour than completing either outcome or process simulations on their own and were, in fact, no better than the drinks diary control condition. However, imagining how non-drinking might be most successfully achieved within social situations seems likely to be integral to developing the necessary drink refusal self-efficacy skills required to be socially present as a non-drinker, a behaviour that has been suggested to carry unique and significant social challenges (Conroy & de Visser, 2014). However, contrary to hypotheses 3(a) and 3(b), ratings of prototypical non-drinkers as comparatively more sociable did not mediate intervention effects related to the reduction of weekly unit intake or HED for any condition.…”