Heavy drinking among ‘sober generation’ youth: a longitudinal study

 
Background: Over the past 20 years, a significant decline in drinking among young people have been recorded in many high-income countries and today’s teenagers are often labelled “the sober generation”. Although youth drinking seems to have declined across all levels of consumption, some adolescents do start drinking at an early age or drink more heavily than their peers. This study aims to explore experiences of heavy drinking in a sample of Norwegian youths interviewed longitudinally from early to late adolescence. In context of declining youth alcohol consumption, how do young people who drink heavily understand and account for their use of alcohol? Further, we explore how individual drinking trajectories that include heavy drinking evolve over time, and how drinking relates to self-understanding and life events during these trajectories. 
 
Methods: The data stems from a longitudinal qualitative study where 118 participants (t1) from six local settings across Norway were interviewed five times; from the ages 12/13 (t1) to 18/19 (t5). The data consists of a total of 287 transcribed individual interviews, 50 focus groups, and in addition detailed field notes for each participant. Interviews examined perceptions and experience of alcohol use and partying, and accounts of motivation for drinking. All interviews have been transcribed and coded using HyperResearch data analysis software. 
 
Results and conclusion: Before the ages 15/16, only very few of the participants had personal experiences of heavy drinking. Accounts of drinking situations and motivation of those who did, often indicate individual vulnerability. From ages 15/16 heavy drinking was still uncommon, but during ages 16/17 and 11th and 13th grade heavy drinking occurred more frequently. Curiosity, peer group pressure and -influence was often emphasized as motivation for and context of heavy drinking. Individual trajectories of heavy drinking will be explored further focusing upon stability, change and turning points. We will also discuss the term “young heavy drinkers” considering how adolescent drinking patterns and attitudes to drinking may vary over time.