What is alcohol abuse? Changes in Norwegians’ perceptions of drinking practices since the 1960s

Nordlund, Sturla

doi:10.1080/16066350701699130

Cited by 22 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…On the other hand, reduced drinking might reflect an effort to preserve emotional stability [7,23]. In addition, alcohol consumption is often part of one’s social life [33,34], which may be affected by social withdrawal in the aftermath of a disaster [21,22]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in alcohol consumption after a natural disaster: a study of Norwegian survivors after the 2004 Southeast Asia tsunami

Nordløkken

Pape²,

Wentzel‐Larsen

et al. 2013

BMC Public Health

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BackgroundMany studies suggest that disaster exposure is related to a subsequent increase in alcohol consumption. Most of these studies have relied on retrospective self-reports to measure changes in alcohol use. The aim of the present study was to examine the association between disaster exposure and drinking behaviors more closely, analyzing data on both self-perceived changes in alcohol consumption and current drinking habits in groups with different extents of disaster exposure.MethodsA sample of Norwegian adults (≥ 18 years) who resided in areas affected by the 2004 Southeast Asia tsunami (N = 899) were assessed by a postal questionnaire 6 months after the disaster. Based on detailed questions about experiences with the tsunami, participants were grouped according to their extent of disaster exposure. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised was applied to measure the level of post-traumatic stress. Participants were asked whether they had increased or decreased their alcohol consumption after the disaster. Moreover, weekly alcohol consumption and frequency of intoxication during the past month were used as indicators of current drinking behaviors.ResultsSeverely exposed individuals more often reported changing their alcohol consumption compared with those who were less exposed. Severe exposure to the tsunami was associated with both a self-perceived increase (OR 21.38, 95% CI 2.91–157.28) and decrease in alcohol consumption (OR 7.41, 95% CI 1.74–31.51). The odds ratios decreased and were not significant when adjusting for post-traumatic stress symptoms. Weekly consumption and frequency of intoxication during the past month did not vary with extent of disaster exposure.ConclusionsOur findings indicate a polarization effect of severe disaster exposure on self-perceived changes in alcohol consumption; that is, disaster exposure was associated with self-perceived increases and decreases in drinking. However, the absence of associations between disaster exposure and indicators of current drinking behaviors suggests that the observed polarization effect may be overestimated because of attribution and recall bias.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in alcohol consumption after a natural disaster: a study of Norwegian survivors after the 2004 Southeast Asia tsunami

Nordløkken

Pape²,

Wentzel‐Larsen

et al. 2013

BMC Public Health

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show abstract

“…This would also help to address the increasing limitations on health budgets (Giesbrecht, 2007) and could provide information on the health impact of different governmental initiatives (WHO, 2000). Clearly, a better understanding of the perceptions and opinions of the general population on the health issues related to alcohol (Greenfield & Room, 1997;Nordlund, 2008) is required.…”

Section: What We Expect From This Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Contextual Determinants of Alcohol Consumption Changes and Preventive Alcohol Policies: A 12-Country European Study in Progress

Allamani

Voller

Decarli

et al. 2011

Substance Use & Misuse

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Beginning with France in the 1950s, alcohol consumption has decreased in Southern European countries with few or no preventive alcohol policy measures being implemented, while alcohol consumption has been increasing in Northern European countries where historically more restrictive alcohol control policies were in place, even though more recently they were loosened. At the same time, Central and Eastern Europe have shown an intermediate behavior. We propose that country-specific changes in alcohol consumption between 1960 and 2008 are explained by a combination of a number of factors: (1) preventive alcohol policiesAmong others, thanks to the late Eva Buiatti for her great support and scientific cooperation, and to Harold Holder for his suggestions. The research leading to these results has received funding and (2) social, cultural, economic, and demographic determinants. This article describes the methodology of a research study designed to understand the complex interactions that have occurred throughout Europe over the past five decades. These include changes in alcohol consumption, drinking patterns and alcoholrelated harm, and the actual determinants of such changes.

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“…What people define as acceptable alcohol use may change over time (Nordlund, 2008; loss of femininity, and increased vulnerability to unwanted sex (Bogren, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The degree to which intoxication is accepted has also been shown to be contingent on personal drinking levels (e.g. Nordlund, 2008), and women tend to report more restrictive attitudes towards alcohol use than men (e.g. Scheffels, Moan, & Storvoll, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frightening or Foolish? Gendered Perceptions of Public Intoxication Among Youths and Adults in Norway and Finland

Scheffels

Moan

Simonen³

et al. 2019

Substance Use & Misuse

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Background: What people define as acceptable alcohol use may differ between social situations and depend upon on who is drinking as well as who is evaluating the situation. Objective: The aim of the study was to explore how Norwegian and Finnish youth and adults perceived the acceptability of situations involving public intoxication and how gender and alcohol's harm to others were made relevant in their reflections. Methods: We conducted eight focus groups among adolescents (N ¼ 44) and eight among adults (N ¼ 38), using photos and stories of drinking situations as stimuli for the discussions. Results: Youths' and adults' perceptions of public intoxication were characterized by ambivalence: negative evaluations were often nuanced and negotiated while positive evaluations typically were followed up with reservations. To some extent, their evaluations depended upon the gender and age of the drinker. Although a norm of gender equality was emphasized, women were typically criticized for their looks and for foolish behavior when drunk, while drunk men were often perceived as frightening. Age was a prominent dimension in evaluations of the acceptability of women's alcohol use, while it was seldom mentioned when discussing intoxicated men. Youths seemed to have somewhat more restrictive attitudes towards public intoxication than adults, reflecting perhaps how they related to the situations with more general conceptions of drinking and harms from drinking, picked up from public debate or from school. Conclusion: Perceptions of alcohol's harm to others were clearly gendered, in that intoxicated men were seen as frightening while women were seen as foolish.

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What is alcohol abuse? Changes in Norwegians’ perceptions of drinking practices since the 1960s

Abstract: The aims of this study is to demonstrate how perceptions of the concept of '

Cited by 22 publications

References 9 publications

Changes in alcohol consumption after a natural disaster: a study of Norwegian survivors after the 2004 Southeast Asia tsunami

Changes in alcohol consumption after a natural disaster: a study of Norwegian survivors after the 2004 Southeast Asia tsunami

Contextual Determinants of Alcohol Consumption Changes and Preventive Alcohol Policies: A 12-Country European Study in Progress

Frightening or Foolish? Gendered Perceptions of Public Intoxication Among Youths and Adults in Norway and Finland

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