AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF YOUNG ADULTS' DRINKING GROUPS--II. DRINK PURCHASING PROCEDURES, GROUP PRESSURES AND ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION BY COMPANIONS AS PREDICTORS OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

Quantitative observations were made of 200 groups in bars cateringfor young adults. Most drinkers were members of groups in whichround-buying procedures were used. Purchasing procedures weregood predictors of alcohol consumption among males, accountingfor 15% of the variance in consumption. Males who purchasedrounds tended to consume more alcohol than did males who didnot purchase drinks for others. Drinkers with companions whoconsumed large amounts of alcohol tended to consume more alcoholand tended to have higher drinking rates. Considered alone,the average amount consumed by companions accounted for 62%and 48% the variance in alcohol consumption by males and femalesrespectively. Qualitative observations and interviews with 200 patrons arealso described Findings from the interviews indicate that therewere considerable pressures on males and females to conformto the ‘institution’ and to the ‘rules’of round-buying. However, the quantitative observations showedthat the majority of females did not openly purchase drinks.This suggests that observational procedures can provide usefulchecks on findings obtained from questioning procedures.