The mutual extraction industry: drug use and the normative structure of social capital in the Russian far north

BackgroundThe article contributes to the literature on the role of social networks and social capital in young people’s drug use. It considers the structural and cultural dimensions of the ‘risk environment’ of post-Soviet Russia, the micro risk-environment of a deindustrialising city in the far north of the country and the kind of social capital that circulates in young people’s social networks there. Its focus is thus on social capital at the micro-level, the ‘bridging’ networks of peer friendship groups and the norms that govern them.MethodThe research is based on a small ethnographic study of the friendship groups and social networks of young people in the city of Vorkuta in 2006–2007. It draws on data from 32 respondents aged 17–27 in the form of 17 semi-structured audio and video interviews and field diaries. Respondents were selected from friendship groups in which drug use was a regular and symbolically significant practice.ResultsThe risk environment of the Russian far north is characterised by major deindustrialisation, poor health indicators, low life expectancy and limited educational and employment opportunities. It is also marked by a ‘work hard, play hard’ cultural ethos inherited from the Soviet period when risk-laden manual labour was well-rewarded materially and symbolically. However, young people today often rely on informal economic practices to generate the resource needed to fulfil their expectations. This is evident from the social networks among respondents which were found to be focused around a daily routine of generating and spending income, central to which is the purchase, sale and use of drugs. These practices are governed by norms that often invert those normally ascribed to social networks: reciprocity is replaced by mutual exploitation and trust by cheating.ConclusionsSocial networks are central to young people’s management of the risk environment associated with post-Soviet economic transformation. However, such networks are culturally as well as structurally determined and may be sites not only of cooperation, support and trust but also of mutual exploitation, deceit and distrust. This does not imply these regions are devoid of social capital. Rather it suggests that the notion of social capital as a natural by-product of a self-regulating economy and its institutions needs to be reconsidered in the context of local configurations of capital and social relations as well as their cultural and normative context. This reconsideration should include further reflection on whether the kinds of social networks described might be better understood not as motors for the generation of social capital but as sites of its ‘mutual extraction’.     

‘Social health’, ‘physical health’, and well-being: Analysing with bourdieusian concepts the interplay between the practices of heavy drinking and exercise among young people

BackgroundThe article examines the interplay between the practices of heavy drinking and exercise among young people. The comparison helps to clarify why young people are currently drinking less than earlier and how the health-related discourses and activities are modifying young people's heavy drinking practices.MethodsThe data is based on interviews (n = 56) in Sweden among 15–17-year-olds and 18–19-year-olds. By drawing on Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, field, and capital, we examine what kinds of resources young people accumulate in the fields of heavy drinking and exercise, how these resources carry symbolic value for distinction, and what kind of health-related habitus they imply.ResultsThe analysis shows that young people's practices in the social spaces of intoxication and exercise are patterned around the ‘social health’ and ‘physical health’ approaches and shaped by gendered binaries of masculine dominance. The ‘physical health’ approach values capable, high-performative, and attractive bodies, whereas the ‘social health’ approach is oriented towards accumulating social capital. The analysis demonstrates that these approaches affect the interviewees’ everyday life practices so that the ‘physical health’ approach has more power over the ‘social health’ approach in transforming them.ConclusionAs the ‘physical health’ approach appears to modify young people's practices of drinking to be less oriented to intoxication or away from drinking, this may partly explain why young people are drinking less today than earlier. Compared to drinking, the physical health-related social spaces also seem to provide more powerful arenas within which to bolster one's masculine and feminine habitus. This further suggests that intoxication may have lost its symbolic power among young people as a cool activity signalling autonomy, maturity, and transgression of norms.     

Social capital as norms and resources: Focus groups discussing alcohol

The aim of this article is to analyse the relationship between peer-group social capital and the use of alcohol among young people – as this relationship is expressed in focus group interviews. The main point to be made is that social capital affects alcohol use in two different ways: it incites some forms of drinking (‘controlled drunkenness’) while restricting others (drinking alone, drinking ‘for the wrong reason’, losing control often). Furthermore, the idea behind this article is that social capital is both a background factor influencing participants’ relationship to alcohol and an effect of their drinking experience. We apply Coleman's micro-oriented perspective on local network mechanisms – with a specific focus on collective norms negotiated in the focus groups – in combination with Bourdieu's definition of social capital as resources. The data used in this article come from focus group interviews with 18–19-year-old Danes.     

Alcohol use in seven ethnic communities in Ontario: A qualitative investigation

Populations in Canada represent a diverse range of cultures with different beliefs and norms regarding alcohol use and related problems. While there is very little published research on the cultural aspects of alcohol and other substance uses in Canada, in spite of the cultural diversity of the country, there are important indications that alcohol is a serious problem in many ethnic communities. In order to arrive at a more complete understanding of the issues related to providing culturally sensitive approaches that would meet the alcohol-related health promotion needs of diverse communities, focus group discussions were conducted with the key informants and community members from seven Ontario communities: the Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Tamil, Punjabi, Serbian and Somali. The results revealed that the types and sizes of alcoholic beverages consumed in each community, drinking levels that are considered ‘normal’ or ‘excessive’, as well as the perception of alcohol-related problems are largely shaped by their cultural norms and beliefs, which often differ from those of the dominant culture. Health messages that reflect the dominant culture are often not relevant to people from different cultural backgrounds. Socioeconomic disadvantages and barriers to service utilization heighten their vulnerability to alcohol problems. These findings have important implications for prevention and service provision, particularly to ethnic communities that may be unlikely to access services through more standard channels.     

Destination drinking: Toward a research agenda on alcotourism

Studies of tourism and of alcohol consumption can be fruitfully brought together under the heading alcotourism. Alcotourism refers to the practices of travelling to drink, drinking on holiday, drinking to travel and drinking while travelling that are important but understudied aspects of both tourism studies and alcohol studies. Drawing on a selection of published studies, this paper scopes current research in order to assemble a research agenda for alcotourism. The paper includes discussions of cultural tourism, heritage tourism, party tourism, themed drinking environments, and acquisitive alcotourism. Debates about benefits and problems for both ‘hosts’ and ‘guests’ are highlighted, drawing on concepts such as cultural capital and liminality, while alcotourism is also situated in the context of contemporary debates about the regulation or deregulation of alcohol, drinking and drunkenness. It ends with a call for more sustained and systematic research, and a caution about straightforwardly reading alcotourism as a social problem; it should instead be understood as a set of context-specific practices often integral to the experience of holidays.     

Social networks and alcohol use among nonstudent emerging adults: a preliminary study

We examined the social networks and alcohol use of a community-based sample of nonstudent emerging adults (N=59). The research examined (1) personal network characteristics and the drinking habits of its members, (2) the link between network alcohol use and personal alcohol involvement, (3) perceived social norms as they related to network alcohol use, and (4) relationship between perceived social norms and personal alcohol involvement. Men and women (M age=27 years) were equally represented in the social network. Level of educational attainment of members was diverse. On average, respondents were in contact on a daily basis with network members and about 38% of the network was known between 1 and 5 years. The majority (57%) of the network consisted of household or family members. There were some associations between network drinking and personal alcohol involvement. The proportion of "drinking buddies" in one's network was directly associated with perceived drinking norms. Perceived drinking norms also were positively associated with personal alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, and approval of drinking behaviors. Findings from this study have implications for understanding social factors in the drinking behavior of nonstudent emerging adults and could inform the development of effective prevention and treatment interventions for this important, but understudied group of drinkers.     

Constructing maturity through alcohol experience–Focus group interviews with teenagers

Danish 14- and 15-year-olds are at the top of the European list when it comes to drinking and drunkenness. The aim of this article is to demonstrate how the struggle for social recognition–with alcohol as the central marker–transpires in groups of teenagers in Denmark. This article shows how alcohol experience and positive attitudes towards drinking are related to popularity and influence in the peer group. The function of alcohol in teenagers’ struggle for recognition is so strong that the participants who drink very little or not at all are put under considerable pressure. With alcohol as a central marker of maturity–and the drinking teenagers’ parents described as supporters of this view–non-drinking teenagers come out as the potential losers in the negotiation of status in the groups. The data are drawn from a large qualitative study in which 28 focus group interviews were conducted with Danish teenagers. This article represents a close reading of two of the interviews. Theoretically, the analysis is inspired by symbolic interactionism, Erwin Goffman's dramaturgical approach to social interaction and the post-structuralist reasoning of Judith Butler.     

A long-term preventive project on alcohol drinking in Slovenia

The alcohol drinking problems in Slovenia are briefly described and the process of the first part of a long-term national alcohol drinking preventive population-based project called ‘Message from the bottle’, which has been run by the Department of Family Medicine at the Medical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, is explained. Its long-term aims are to reframe understanding of alcohol issues, to change the social climate on alcohol and to reduce alcohol-related harm. Different products have been prepared: postcards, brochures, posters for different kinds of exhibitions, an animated health-promotion film, a manual for primary healthcare physicians and workshops for physicians and nurses to learn about counselling for health behaviour change. In conclusion, future planned activities are described.     

Transitions into young adulthood: Extent to which alcohol use,perceived drinking norms,and consequences vary by education and work statuses among 18–20 year olds

IntroductionWith many young adults pursuing post-secondary education and many working, understanding the importance of education and work roles on alcohol use are of developmental and clinical importance. Utilizing a sample of 18–20 year-olds transitioning from adolescence to young adulthood, the current study examined how social role statuses in education (i.e., not in school, 2-year students, 4-year students) and work status (i.e., unemployed, employed part-time, employed full-time) were associated with alcohol use, alcohol-related consequences, and perceived drinking norms.MethodParticipants were 18–20 year old young adults (54% female) participating in a one-time online survey about alcohol use and sexual behavior. Regression models were conducted to examine associations between school status and work status with alcohol related outcomes.ResultsIndividuals who were unemployed had a significantly lower likelihood of any heavy episodic drinking (HED) in the past month, consumed fewer drinks per week, and experienced fewer alcohol-related consequences compared to individuals who worked full-time. Individuals who worked part-time consumed fewer drinks per week and had lower perceived drinking norms compared to individuals who worked full-time. No significant associations were found for alcohol use and consequences by education status.DiscussionWorking full-time is a risk factor for HED, greater weekly drinking and negative alcohol-related consequences when compared to young adults who are unemployed, and to a lesser extent with young adults working part-time. Workplace interventions may be one approach to reach heavy drinking young adults.     

Drinking comfortably? Gender and affect among Danish pre-partiers

BackgroundThe aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between youthful drinking practices and gender within the domestic pre-party (prior to a night out), an arena, which has been relatively ignored in existing qualitative research on youthful alcohol use. An examination of the relationships between gender and drinking practices in this context is important for three reasons. First, pre-parties are associated with heavy drinking, which has traditionally been associated with masculinity. Second, because pre-drinking takes place in the private sphere of the home, it is therefore ‘controlled’ in terms of who can participate and hence what precisely is the gender composition. Third, whilst being located in the private sphere of the home, pre-party practices are nevertheless informed by the (hyper) gendered environments of public drinking spaces in the Night-Time Economy (NTE), most dominantly mainstream clubs and bars. We suggest that such characteristics allow for the emergence of specific gendered relationships, activities and affectivities, thereby demarcating the pre-party as a particular gendered drinking space.MethodsWe draw on narrative data from 140 in-depth face-to-face interviews with young Danish alcohol users between 18–25 years of age. The interviews were part of a large-scale research project on the gendered aspects of youthful alcohol use and intoxication. Theoretically, we draw on a combination of the ‘doing gender’ paradigm (West & Zimmerman, 1987) and affect theoretical notions on (un)comfortability (Ahmed, 2014). We propose that these perspectives mark out the pre-party as a particularly gendered drinking space.ResultsWhile our analysis supports the observation of existing qualitative studies, that pre-partying is not merely motivated by the possibility of becoming intoxicated in a cheap and un-surveilled way before going out, we especially argue that pre-partying is fueled by a desire for 'comfortability', which seems almost impossible to disassemble from the gendering that pre-partying also entails. Our analysis therefore contributes to the ongoing academic discussion around the relationship between ‘intoxicated femininity’ and ‘intoxicated masculinity’ by suggesting that we need to take the affective implications of young people’s (gendered) drinking practices into account in a thorough discussion of the relationship between youthful alcohol use and gender.     

Family life and alcohol consumption: The transmission of ‘public’ and ‘private’ drinking cultures

This article considers the transmission of drinking cultures within families. In particular, we highlight the differential and discursive construction of the home as a space where parents/carers are happy to introduce children to alcohol in a ‘safe’ environment in opposition to public spaces which they consider to be locations where alcohol consumption is associated with violence and disorder. Presenting empirical research undertaken in the UK, we argue that parents/carers miss the opportunity to teach children about the range of drinking practices and spaces they may experience throughout their lives and fail to engage with their children about wider social responsibilities as potential drinkers in the future. We conclude with theoretical- and policy-relevant insights.     

Perceptions of policy change: Hispanics speak out on the 1998 New Mexico drive-up liquor window closure

Public health policies are intended to influence behaviors, and should be in accordance with differing cultures and social, legal and economic environments (WHO, 2000). However, studies of whether policy changes differentially affect minority populations are rare. Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic group in the USA, and are over-represented among those arrested for driving while impaired (DWI). The relationship between the availability of alcohol and alcohol-related problem behaviors has been established. Drive-up liquor window sales may facilitate drinking and driving, and may be disproportionately found in minority neighborhoods. In 1998 New Mexico (NM) became the twenty-seventh state to close drive-up liquor windows. This study examines how the closure was perceived by Hispanics versus people of other ethnicities. We conducted a telephone survey followed by a mailed questionnaire. The telephone survey was completed by 108 residents from four NM communities, and the mailed survey was responded to by 133 residents living within two blocks of a closed liquor window. Many Hispanic telephone-survey respondents felt the closures only effect on the community was reducing DWI crashes (44%). Respondents of other ethnicities were more likely to be unsure of its effects. Mailed-survey results of Hispanics indicate similar views, with 48% reporting that the closure reduced DWI crashes. Respondents of other ethnicities more often felt the closure had little effect on the neighborhood. The qualitative analysis revealed three themes: ‘zero tolerance;’ ‘ineffective;’ and ‘right track.’ Hispanics generally thought the closure was an ineffective means of addressing the DWI problem, while respondents of other ethnicities felt the closure was a step in the right direction. Respondents living closest to the former drive-up windows strongly felt the closure resulted in safer streets, less noise, fewer accidents, and less ‘wild driving.’     

On both sides of the bar. Bartenders’ accounts of work-related drinking

Abstract

Bartenders are expected to control guests’ excessive alcohol consumption, but hazardous drinking is also common among staff in the bar industry. This paper explores bartenders’ accounts of work-related drinking and discusses how structural and cultural working conditions may impact drinking practices among staff. The data comprises 21 in-depth interviews with bartenders from different venues in Oslo, Norway: eight females and 13 males, aged 22–36?years (mean age 27). The analyses demonstrated three clusters of accounts of work-related drinking. First, the bartenders emphasised availability of alcohol in their work environment and that they perceived themselves as sophisticated drinkers. Second, drinking alcohol was described as a coping strategy to deal with stressful work and as a way of ‘coming down’ after high-energy work. Third, bartenders talked about their work as part of a lifestyle in which alcohol played an important role and they described intense friendships with colleagues. Occupational identity and identification with co-workers involved norms that encouraged a high level of alcohol consumption. Bartenders’ work and leisure time are closely intertwined and alcohol plays an important role in both areas. Server training programmes should be developed that take into account this workplace drinking culture.     

The primary prevention of alcohol problems: a critical review of the research literature

The research evaluating the effects of programs and policies in reducing the incidence of alcohol problems is critically reviewed. Four types of preventive interventions are examined including: (1) policies affecting the physical, economic and social availability of alcohol (e.g., minimum legal drinking age, price and advertising of alcohol), (2) formal social controls on alcohol-related behavior (e.g., drinking-driving laws), (3) primary prevention programs (e.g., school-based alcohol education), and (4) environmental safety measures (e.g., automobile airbags). The research generally supports the efficacy of three alcohol-specific policies: raising the minimum legal drinking age to 21, increasing alcohol taxes and increasing the enforcement of drinking-driving laws. Also, research suggests that various environmental safety measures reduce the incidence of alcohol-related trauma. In contrast, little evidence currently exists to support the efficacy of primary prevention programs. However, a systems perspective of prevention suggests that prevention programs may become more efficacious after widespread adoption of prevention policies that lead to shifts in social norms regarding use of beverage alcohol.     

Testing Young Adults’ Reactions to Facebook Cues and Their Associations with Alcohol Use

Background: Alcohol cues on social media may influence young adults’ drinking patterns, these cues may be pro-social or pro-alcohol in nature. The influence of individual Facebook cues on young adults’ drinking intentions and behaviors remains unknown. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess how Facebook cues influence intention to drink, and how intention was associated with Theory of Reasoned Action constructs including alcohol-related attitudes and norms, and future behavior. Methods: Incoming university students completed a pre-college and a 2-year follow-up phone interview. A vignette presented individual Facebook cues representing “pro-social” or “pro-alcohol” sentiments. Participants indicated intention to drink alcohol and their rationale for this intention after each cue. Additional measures included TRA constructs of alcohol-related attitudes and norms, and problem alcohol use. Analyses included a qualitative approach to examine rationales for intention to drink in response to Facebook cues, and linear mixed effects models. Results: Of 338 participants, 56.1% were female, 74.8% were Caucasian. Alcohol-related attitudes and norms were positively associated with intention to drink in response to pro-social and pro-alcohol Facebook cues. Participants’ intention to drink in response to pro-alcohol cues was positively associated with problem alcohol use two years later. Conclusions/importance: Findings illuminate the influence of social media on alcohol-related behaviors and highlight potential future screening approaches.     

Identifying patterns of situational antecedents to heavy drinking among college students

Background: Emerging adults have the highest prevalence of heavy drinking as compared to all other age groups. Given the negative consequences associated with such drinking, additional research efforts focused on at-risk consumption are warranted. The current study sought to identify patterns of situational antecedents to drinking and to examine their associations with drinking motivations, alcohol involvement, and mental health functioning in a sample of heavy drinking college students.

Method: Participants were 549 (65.8% women) college student drinkers.

Results: Latent profile analysis identified three classes based on likelihood of heavy drinking across eight situational precipitants. The ‘High Situational Endorsement’ group reported the greatest likelihood of heavy drinking in most situations assessed. This class experienced the greatest level of alcohol-related harms as compared to the ‘Low Situational Endorsement’ and ‘Moderate Situational Endorsement’ groups. The Low Situational Endorsement class was characterized by the lowest likelihood of heavy drinking across all situational antecedents and they experienced the fewest alcohol-related harms, relative to the other classes. Class membership was related to drinking motivations with the ‘High Situational Endorsement’ class endorsing the highest coping- and conformity-motivated drinking. The ‘High Situational Endorsement’ class also reported experiencing more mental health symptoms than other groups.

Conclusions: The current study contributed to the larger drinking literature by identifying profiles that may signify a particularly risky drinking style. Findings may help guide intervention work with college heavy drinkers.     

“Undisciplined” drinking,multi-sectoralism and political power: Examining problematisations in the Botswana alcohol policy

The Botswana government has recently ramped up efforts to control alcohol consumption through various measures. These include the alcohol tax levy, reduction in trading hours for bars and other licenced premises and increased penalties for alcohol-related road offenses. Whilst these efforts have recently received considerable attention, the processes of alcohol policy development remain unknown and understudied. In this paper, I examine the alcohol policy processes in Botswana using What's the Problem Represented to be (WPR), a poststructural analytic approach that emphasises problematisations in policies. Drawing on alcohol-associated policy documents, I identify two key problematisations that relate to, (1) an emphasis on an “undisciplined” drinker, and (2) an appeal to an internationally-endorsed multi-sectoralism. I explore these problematisations as political formations and periodise them to the year 2008 when they were canonised. I argue that “undisciplined drinking” and an internationally-endorsed multi-sectoralism neglect the social and cultural contexts of drinking, pathologise drinking and do not consider other forms of knowledge. Unmaking current alcohol policy representations is needed to allow for the ‘emergence’ of alternative conceptualisations of the alcohol ‘problem’ in Botswana.