”… if there's a party, then there's definitely alcohol”. Construction of partying practices and abstinence in Estonian youth forums

Abstract

Aims Adolescents' abstinence from alcohol has not been much researched in terms of providing suggestions for prevention strategies. This study aims to fill that gap by offering a practice theory-inspired analysis of how the unwritten rules of partying practices are communicated between posters of Estonian youth forums. Data –These forums are novel objects of analysis in research on teenagers' alcohol use, and the article shares some topical experiences. Results The findings of the analysis show that non-drinking at teenagers' alcohol-related social gatherings is generally communicated as a non-tolerated individual performance that is seen to erode the whole collective partying practice. Young people therefore suggest in forums various mimicry strategies to justify non-drinking. Conclusions The article casts doubts about the efficiency of risk awareness raising and teaching individual skills in this context because they provide little help for those youngsters who have already been recruited into partying practices and who need peer legitimation to leave these practices. The authors pose suggestions for gradually making the current alcohol-related partying practices more tolerant of non-drinkers, thus opening “sub-culturally supported roads” to personal autonomy.

Possibilities for Co-Creation in Adolescents’ Alcohol Prevention

“…The results show that even with a small number of meetings over a short period of time, co-creation and participatory action research provided very good insight into adolescent alcohol culture norms and alcohol consumption practices, creating rich data which are in accordance with my previous studies (Parder, 2011, 2016; Parder & Vihalemm 2015). Instead of a long anthropological or ethnographic study, quick action research over a short period of time provided access to aspects a researcher usually does not have, for example, in in-time interviews, e.g.…”

“…The concept of the ‘lõpuläbu’ (graduation bash) emerged: a graduation party for ninth graders (aged 15–16 in Estonia) where they celebrate by drinking alcohol, and adolescents who have not yet tried alcohol are expected to finally do so. The concept of this alcohol party practice is so widely shared (for more details, see Parder, 2011; Parder & Vihalemm, 2015) that adolescents do not need any other explanation besides the name of the party in order to know what kind of script will be followed at that party (Presser, 2009; Tutenges & Sandberg, 2013). The ‘lõpuläbu’ seems to signify a transition that has not been ‘filled’ by any other tradition, leaving it to be filled by adolescents themselves.…”

“…There have only been a few studies on the Estonian alcohol-related party culture (e.g. Parder, 2016; Parder & Vihalemm, 2015). These studies conclude that, similar to in Denmark (Järvinen & Gundelach, 2007), non-drinking is not an easy choice for 15- to 16-year olds in Estonia.…”

“…Adolescents learn these culturally shared practical understandings (Schatzki et al, 2001) through different activities and sectors of life. Interaction, which often takes the form of narratives circulated in the collective between actors, holds social practices together (Keller & Halkier, 2013; Vihalemm et al, 2015), and collective practices ‘recruit’ people, with one form of ‘recruitment’ being narratives shared collectively (Parder, 2016; Parder & Vihalemm, 2015). Adolescents may enter, participate and leave alcohol consumption as a community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991).…”

“…The theory claims that to bring about social change these socio-materially (re-)produced patterns of action have to be addressed (Shove, 2011). Targeting and weakening collective alcohol consumption practices by targeting the narratives related to situational abstinence from alcohol (Parder, 2016) is a promising form of preventive action (Parder & Vihalemm, 2015). Therefore, the current study focused on two main research questions: (1) what ideas of (situational) abstinence adolescents form into narratives, and (2) to what extent action research and co-creation in workshops can be used to study adolescents’ non-drinking stories.…”