Youth Drinking Cultures

Regular drunkenness seems to be a normative part of the 'play hard' youth cultures of countries like the UK, Ireland and Denmark. How can 'binge drinking' be explained and understood? Is alcohol consumption related to the particular cultural characteristics of European countries? Should heavy drinking cultures be seen as a mainstream youth phenomenon or as marginal - and is this different in different countries? A team of leading researchers aim to answer these questions and more in their analysis of the alcohol consumption patterns of European young people. Alcohol consumption is an important marker of transition from childhood to early adulthood, yet the timing, intensity and purpose of adolescent drinking varies dramatically between countries. The contributors provide cross-country comparisons to investigate how drinking behaviour varies, looking at factors such as gender, societal context and family socio-economic backgrounds. The book offers a comprehensive set of perspectives on adolescent drinking in Europe. In linking issues around social identity and the life-course with a highly topical area of media and policy concern, the book will be of great value to sociology and social policy scholars, especially youth researchers, and also to professionals working with young people.