Young adults and ‘binge’ drinking: A Bakhtinian analysis

Abstract

In this paper, we use Bakhtin's theory of carnival in a literary analysis of young people's accounts of the role of alcohol in their social lives. Bakhtinian themes in the focus-group transcripts included the dialogic character of drinking stories, the focus on parodic grotesquery, ribald and satiric laughter, and the temporary subversion and reversal of social norms and roles in a world turned 'inside out'. We suggest that our analysis of the UK's drinking 'culture' hints at a previously untheorised complexity and force, and points to a deep contradiction between young people's lived experience of alcohol and government policy discourses based on appeals to individual moral responsibility. We conclude that the carnivalesque resonance of drinking is such that the UK's alcohol problem will continue to worsen until the availability and cultural presence of alcohol is subject to stricter controls.

The Consumption, Production and Regulation of Alcohol in the UK: The Relevance of the Ambivalence of the Carnivalesque

“…A variety of terms have been applied to describe young people's 'determined drunkenness' or 'calculated hedonism' within the 'new culture of intoxication' (Measham and Brain, 2005;Szmigin et al, 2008). However, as noted by MacAndrew and Edgerton (1970), a range of behaviours can be associated with drunkenness; the particular culture identified by these terms is better understood as carnivalesque, reflecting the overthrow of everyday norms and the key role of sociability in the 'night out' as much as alcoholic intoxication (Hackley et al, 2013).…”

The rise and fall of the ‘nudge’ of minimum unit pricing: The continuity of neoliberalism in alcohol policy in England

“…This can be distinguished from communitarianism on the one hand and both classical and expansive liberalism on the other. There is some truth in the claim that government alcohol policy reveals a certain hypocrisy (Hobbs et al, 2005) or contradiction (Hackley et al, 2012), and there is, no doubt, as Greenaway (2003) points out, that the reality of alcohol policymaking has been somewhat confused or conflicted. However, as Nicholls (2012) argues, alcohol presents certain 'intractable' problems for policymakers, and so perhaps we should not expect government alcohol policy to be entirely coherent or effective.…”

“…This combination of policy actions has been considered contradictory, confused and even hypocritical (e.g. Hobbs et al, 2005;Hackley et al, 2012). In this article, I argue that in fact the Labour government's approach to alcohol policy is better understood as reflecting an overarching neoliberal approach to the issues.…”

Contextualizing Students’ Alcohol Use Perceptions and Practices within French Culture: An Analysis of Gender and Drinking among Sport Science College Students

“…Drinking also has a cultural significance associated with fun, humor, and pleasure (Hackley et al, 2013(Hackley et al, , 2015. Research also highlights the role of sport as actively promoting drinking behaviors (Lorente et al, 2004;Nelson & Wechsler, 2001).…”