Youthful non-drinking – alive and well but socially invisible

Many young people in the UK drink little alcohol or do not drink at all, but public policy is based on the assumption that youth drinking is the norm, an assumption reinforced by stereotyped media portrayals of binge drinking. Now, a new study from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation casts light on a social phenomenon the existence of which is barely recognised, let alone understood. The study examines the lives of young people who drink little or no alcohol, and finds that:

• getting drunk is not an automatic rite of passage for young people

• young people who drink little or no alcohol tend to prefer activities where drinking alcohol rarely plays a role

• the immediate effects of drinking alcohol (e.g. hangovers) concern young people more than longer term health effects; and

• young people believe alcohol education is based on the assumption that young people drink. They want ‘not drinking’ to be presented as a legitimate option.

Download report at: http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/positive-choice-young-people