"If You Don't Drink at University, You're Going to Struggle to Make Friends" Prospective Students' Perceptions around Alcohol Use at Universities in the United Kingdom



Gambles, Nichola, Porcellato, Lorna, Fleming, Kate M ORCID: 0000-0002-6572-5016 and Quigg, Zara
(2022) "If You Don't Drink at University, You're Going to Struggle to Make Friends" Prospective Students' Perceptions around Alcohol Use at Universities in the United Kingdom. SUBSTANCE USE & MISUSE, 57 (2). pp. 249-255.

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Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>New students arrive at university with pre-determined perceptions around how alcohol can be used as a tool to overcome anxieties and secure new friendships, which in turn influences students' drinking behaviors. From a health promotion perspective, the transition to university may present a unique yet understudied opportunity to challenge and reframe situated drinking norms. This paper explores prospective university students' perceptions of the role that alcohol plays at university and the influence that these perceptions have on behavior.<h4>Method</h4>Focus groups with 46 prospective university students (aged 16-20 years) recruited from colleges and sixth forms in the North West of England.<h4>Results</h4>Through various sources of information, new students arrive at university with pre-conceived perceptions of a heavy student drinking culture and knowledge around how alcohol can be used to aid successful integration with new peers. Alcohol was viewed by new students as a social lubricant which is key to accruing social capital. Cultural presentations of the student drinker identity led prospective students to formulate negative connotations of those students who transgress from the norms of drinking.<h4>Conclusions</h4>The findings provide new insights into how young people conceptualize alcohol at university and the impact that these perceptions have on shaping ideology and influencing drinking behavior. Breaking down these norms presents real challenges for those trying to address excessive drinking in universities, therefore, early intervention which challenges, re-frames and modifies perceptions before students arrive on campus may help to reduce the pressure and expectations to drink in social situations.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Alcohol, focus groups, drinking culture, university, students' drinking behavior, drinking perceptions
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Population Health
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 08 Feb 2023 16:00
Last Modified: 08 Feb 2023 16:01
DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2021.2002902
Open Access URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2021.2002902
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3168283