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Benefits and drawbacks of social non-drinking identified by British university students
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 08:53 authored by Dominic Conroy, Richard De VisserRichard De VisserBackground/objectives: Promoting the benefits of not drinking alcohol during social occasions where other peers may be drinking (‘social non-drinking’) may support more moderate drinking among young people. We analysed free-text responses from university students to gauge the frequency/focus of identified benefits of, and drawbacks to, social non-drinking. We also assessed whether/how identified benefits and drawbacks were associated with recent drinking behaviour and psychological correlates of harmful drinking. Design and method: Secondary data analyses was conducted on 511 free-text responses provided by students participating in a health intervention. Template analysis was used to identify potential benefits of social non-drinking. Links between responses relating to social non-drinking and behavioural/psychological measures were assessed. Results: 46.2% of female students and 42.0% of male students had engaged in social non-drinking in the previous week. Overarching benefits of social non-drinking included: improved physical and psychological health; increased self-esteem/agency; a higher quality social life; and having a more stable/productive life. Hostility/ambivalence to social non-drinking was evident in 26.6% of responses. Among women only, endorsing higher self-esteem and agency as a benefit of social non-drinking was associated with increased intention to heed government drinking recommendations (ß = 0.10, P = 0.036). Discussion and conclusions: Focus on social non-drinking may help encourage more moderate drinking among young people by articulating positives of social non-drinking while raising awareness of a changing normative context in which non-drinking is increasingly more common among young people.
Funding
Doctoral training grant; ESRC; ES/J500173/1
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Drug and Alcohol ReviewISSN
09595236Publisher
Taylor & FrancisExternal DOI
Issue
S1Volume
37Page range
S89-S97Department affiliated with
- Psychology Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2017-11-17First Open Access (FOA) Date
2017-11-17First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2017-11-17Usage metrics
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