El uso del cofán en el hogar

The cost of alcohol was raised as a contributory factor in drinking behaviour and some discussion occurred on the implications of raising the price of drinks, particularly on campus, as a way of reducing alcohol, especially excessive alcohol, consumption. Some students thought that it was inappropriate to raise the price because it stopped people enjoying themselves. Others considered that people who wanted to drink would do so anyway, irrespective of the price, and that ‘people are gonna, still pay the money‟. They drew attention to the implications of raised prices on purchasing patterns, with some students suggesting that the students would just buy bottles of alcohol and drink at home rather than going out to socialise, or do more drinking at home before they went out. This possibility was viewed negatively, in isolating students and perhaps creating more potential for harm as students travelled to venues already intoxicated, although it is a pattern that already occurs. Some participants took a broader perspective and referred to proposals to increase the general price of alcohol based on a minimum price per unit. Here the common view was one of indignation, that people had the right to drink (excessively) if they wanted to, and that it was unfair to increase the costs for everyone else. They questioned why everyone else should be penalised or, as one participant put it „increase[ing] the cost on everybody else just seems a

bit like a scapegoat to be honest‟. The participants were also sceptical that increasing the unit

price would reduce drinking amongst those with an alcohol problem; they considered that they would find the additional money in some way.

Thus, to summarise this theme, students tended to see changing attitudes and behaviour towards alcohol in a highly complex way involving individual, intra-personal and contextual factors. In general they seemed to be quite pessimistic about ways in which students’ drinking could be moderated and many had quite negative views on a range of more formal means such as health promotion campaigns at local and national level. Whilst recognising that some strategies might be more effective than others at eliciting change many also questioned the need for change, viewing it as necessary only when people drank excessively over a longer period of time. For them, excessive drinking in students was seen as a temporary activity that would stop once they graduated. Others, however, were more aware of the problems of student alcohol use and spoke more supportively of current actions by the university and the student union to raise awareness of the risks and the need to take further steps.

3.4 Summary

In undertaking this part of the study we were aiming to both obtain an understanding of the way in which students perceive and use alcohol within the university context and to gain information that would enable us to determine the nature of the problems associated with drinking with a view to minimising such problems. Understanding how and why students drink and the problems associated with such consumption is a first step to attempting to change or modify those patterns which may be prejudicial to their well-being.

From the data that has emerged, it is noticeable that students have quite varied approaches to alcohol consumption, and that within the university and its partner colleges there is a spread of views and behaviours that reflect those within society more generally. Thus, student drinking spans the full range from total abstention, through occasional and moderate consumption to patterns that involve excessive and potentially harmful amounts. However, perhaps two things stand out in the discussions with the students. One is that the culture of the university is universally seen to be a drinking culture, and a culture that is often interpreted as one of excessive consumption. Second is the extent to which those who adhere to this drinking culture perceive drinking large quantities and being intoxicated as normal. The perception of the drinking culture predominates and those who do not drink, or only drink in moderation, often find themselves on the defensive. Whilst the mature students and those who are based in the family home appear more able to maintain their existing patterns of consumption, those living in student accommodation, either in halls of residence or in shared residential properties in the locality, often find themselves under considerable pressure to conform. First year students would seem to be particularly at risk of a pattern of socialisation involving heavy alcohol consumption as they attempt to integrate into university life. Expectations about alcohol fuelled socialisation are formed prior to transition to university and acted out on arrival. Factors such as their restricted experience of alcohol, more limited awareness of their own reactions and weaker self-management skills, higher levels of income and relatively inexperience of budgeting such sums, lack of familiarity with Northampton, especially the town centre, and the reduced monitoring of academic work which does not contribute to their degree classification, underpin this increased vulnerability of first year students. Those in the partner colleges are less affected by this culture because of more rigorous restrictions on alcohol on campus and closer monitoring of their academic attendance, but they are not immune from it.

Heavy consumption is rarely considered to be problematic by those students who do so. It is seen as an intrinsic part of their socialisation at university, a temporary phenomenon at a time when they have few responsibilities other than academic work, which they perceive as more amenable to high consumption than the obligations of work and family which will come later once they have graduated. On the whole, students are aware of the negative effects of drinking, but are more likely to see them in terms of immediate consequences rather than longer term ones. Thus they remark on its adverse effects on such factors as mood, relationships, finance, academic study and performance, and its associated increase in injuries, aggression and violence, anti-social behaviour, etc. Few perceive the longer term dangers to health, considering that only prolonged heavy and consistent use over decades will lead to health problems in later adulthood. The majority do not recognise the health implications of consuming large quantities in a short period as in the type of ‘binge drinking’ they undertake. In dealing with the potentially adverse outcomes of drinking the students report taking steps to minimise harm through staying together in groups, using transport provided by the nightclubs or sharing taxis, etc. Despite this, many report risky behaviour and/or problems such as walking home alone, sexual activity with strangers, waking up not knowing where they are or how they got there, getting involved in group violence, etc. Whilst some reflect and modify their behaviour, many do not. What was noticeable in the focus group discussions was the often casual way in which many of the students referred to such behaviours and the perception, that for some, the occurrence and retelling of such exploits gained kudos amongst their peers.

In considering what could be done to modify the drinking culture and reduce excessive alcohol consumption and its associated harms, most were pessimistic about the possibility of success. Many questioned the need for change. Those drinking excessively did not see themselves at risk and challenged government guidelines on ‘safe’ levels of drinking, viewing them as unrealistic. Rather than considering excess in terms of units of alcohol, they perceived excess in terms of the impact of alcohol on the individual, either in terms of physiological effects such as passing out or in the experience of adverse consequences. However, in discussing ways of changing such behaviour, strategies considered more likely to succeed involved advertising and promotional campaigns based on social messages and ‘shock tactics’, the provision of additional activities to reduce the emphasis on social events linked to drink and/or licensed venues, and drawing on the direct experience of others to inform of the dangers.

Much of the data from the focus group discussions support the more recent findings of research examining excessive or binge drinking in the general youth population (Engineer, Phillips, Thompson and Nicholls, 2003; Coleman and Cator, 2007; van Wersch and Walker, 2009) and earlier work examining university drinking patterns such as Gill (2002). What is perhaps more noticeable here is the voice of the non-drinking and moderate drinker within the university context. Much of the existing emphasis is on the heavier consumer of alcohol. Here we see the full range of perspectives and the diversity of views reflecting both the varied nature of the student body and the changes in attitude and behaviour that occur as the students progress through their studies. It is tempting to focus all the concern on the drinkers in the desire to change behaviour, to reduce the harmful effects of excessive consumption and promote more sensible approaches to alcohol. However, the needs of those who do not drink or drink only moderately also need to be addressed if the university society is to be one of fairness and equality. More pragmatically however, the insights that they can offer and the nature of their experiences provide us with a rich body of material which can be drawn upon to provide an alternative perspective to use in attempts to change the culture and persuade those who drink to excess to act more safely and sensibly.