Abstract
BackgroundThough sobriety in young people is on the rise, students who drink little or no alcohol may experience social exclusion at University, impacting well-being. We aim to understand the social experiences of United Kingdom (UK) undergraduate students who drink little or no alcohol.MethodsA mixed-methods study using semi-structured, one-to-one interviews and the 24-Item Social Provisions Scale and Flourishing Scale with 15 undergraduate students who drink little or no alcohol. Descriptive statistics are presented for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative.ResultsEight main themes and four subthemes were generated from thematic analysis summarised in two sections ‘views of drinkers from non-drinkers’ and ‘how peer pressure feels and how people deal with it.’ The initial transition to University represented a challenge, where participants struggled to find their ‘true’ friends. However, students generally had high levels of social provision, well-being and enjoyed close friendships with fewer casual acquaintances. All students experienced some kind of peer pressure (of a varying extremity) and developed coping strategies when in social situations involving alcohol. Fear of missing out on the ‘typical’ University experience heightened self-imposed expectations to drink. Despite participants acknowledging their counter-normative behaviour, some felt they were subject to stigmatisation by drinkers, doubting their non-drinker status, causing feelings of exclusion or being ‘boring.’ Their desire to ‘be like everyone else’ exposed some insight into the negative stereotypes of sobriety, including frustration behind alcohol’s status elevation.ConclusionStudents adopt strategies to minimise peer pressure and to fit in. Future research should interrogate drinkers’ perceptions of their sober peers to deepen understanding, better break down ‘us and them,’ and mitigate future expectations within the University drinking culture.
Highlights
During the transition to and through university, students are faced with the challenging task of forming new relationships in unfamiliar situations (Pittman and Richmond, 2008)
This study aimed to explore the role of sobriety in the transition to and through University and provide an overview of general levels of flourishing and social provision in this self-selected group
Overall students had high levels of flourishing and social provision, this was supported by quantitative accounts with students describing their enjoyment of close friendships and fewer casual acquaintances (Theme 1: ‘sobriety filters friendships’)
Summary
During the transition to and through university, students are faced with the challenging task of forming new relationships in unfamiliar situations (Pittman and Richmond, 2008). A survey conducted by the National Union of Students Press Team of 2,215 United Kingdom (UK) students showed 20% get drunk ‘on purpose’ once a week and 79% said drinking and getting drunk was part of the University experience. Studies exploring drinking practices among university students describe alcohol’s effect as a ‘gateway’ or ‘emollient’ into social networks (Griffin et al, 2009; Conroy and de Visser, 2015). Ireland’s (2019) qualitative study of first-year United Kingdom university students demonstrated alcohol’s importance during Fresher’s week, showing its role in reducing initial inhibition and assisting peer bonding (Baron and Kerr, 2003; Fuller et al, 2018). Though sobriety in young people is on the rise, students who drink little or no alcohol may experience social exclusion at University, impacting well-being. We aim to understand the social experiences of United Kingdom (UK) undergraduate students who drink little or no alcohol
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