“Not getting tanked”: Definitions of moderate drinking and their health implications

Abstract

Background-People encounter large amounts of sometimes-inconsistent information about risks and benefits of alcohol consumption, and about what constitutes "low-risk" or "moderate" drinking.Methods-We used 150 in-depth interviews linked to questionnaire data to learn how people define moderate drinking and to describe the relationships between definitions, attitudes, and beliefs about moderate drinking and individuals' drinking patterns.Results-People adhere to definitions of moderate alcohol consumption that could put them, or others, at risk for short-or long-term negative consequences of drinking. Definitions that confused increased tolerance of alcohol with moderate drinking, and those that defined moderate drinking by the absence of short-term negative consequences or ability to maintain control over drinking, ignore long-term risks of heavy consumption. Individuals with risky attitudes were also more likely to report at-risk drinking practices.Conclusions-Americans have complex beliefs about benefits and risks of alcohol consumption, and public health officials have not succeeded in conveying strong or clear messages about what constitutes low-risk drinking or about dose-response effects. Different (but more consistent) approaches to public education may be needed to increase knowledge about drinking-related risks. The prevalence of diverse norm-based definitions suggests that alternative normative information could help people reassess their own consumption.

The ‘other’ in patterns of drinking: A qualitative study of attitudes towards alcohol use among professional, managerial and clerical workers

“…Home drinking is generally portrayed as safe and responsible despite being typically uncontrolled and unregulated [11]. At a population level, there is increasing awareness of the daily guidelines for responsible drinking [4,12], however these are not applied consistently to personal behaviour [1,13]. Higher levels of alcohol consumption have become normalised [1,14] and many people now adhere to a personally-interpreted definition of moderate drinking that could put them in danger of short- and long-term negative consequences [12].…”

“…At a population level, there is increasing awareness of the daily guidelines for responsible drinking [4,12], however these are not applied consistently to personal behaviour [1,13]. Higher levels of alcohol consumption have become normalised [1,14] and many people now adhere to a personally-interpreted definition of moderate drinking that could put them in danger of short- and long-term negative consequences [12]. Almost a quarter of the population report regularly drinking in excess of current guidance, an overwhelming majority of whom do not think they are causing any risk to their long term health and, unlike people who smoke - most of whom would like to quit - less than a fifth of those regularly drinking in excess of the recommended guidance want to drink less [4].…”

Acceptability of screening for early detection of liver disease in hazardous/harmful drinkers in primary care

“…40 Possibly arising from this confusion, participants described the difficulty of knowing what they were meant to adhere to in terms of safe drinking, relying instead on very individual definitional criteria and safe drinking guidance grounded in their own beliefs and experiences, and this has been noted elsewhere. 41 This suggests that there is a need for a consistent, coherent and understandable policy on safe drinking.…”

Being a non-drinking student: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

“…The central position of alcohol in university cultures is of particular concern (Gill, 2002;Griffin, Szmigin, Hackley, Mistral & Bengry-Howell, 2009;Smith & Foxcroft, 2009). To address this, identifying predictors of harmful drinking behaviour among students and understanding how attitudes towards more moderate approaches to drinking might be encouraged has received substantial attention in psychological research (e.g., Atwell, Abraham, & Duka, 2012;Barry & Goodson, 2010;Clark, Tran, Weiss, Caselli, Nikcevic & Spada, 2012;Green, Polen, Janoff, Castleton & Perrin, 2007). Many studies highlight the significant influence of social norms, peer pressure and peer conformity on drinking behaviour among young people and students (e.g., Brown, Clasen, & Eicher, 1986;Nash, McQueen, & Bray, 2005;Santor, Messervey, & Kusumakar, 2000).…”