Perceptions of Heavy Drinking and Alcohol Problems among Young Adults

Abstract

Data from focus groups are presented. Interviews were conducted in various regions of Sweden with young men and women from different social groups. The groups were composed of naturally existing networks of friends. Participants provided definitions of three types of problem drinkers: an alcoholic, a heavy drinker, and a drunkard. The role of background factors in influencing the way the definitions were formed is examined. Two background factors of importance stood out in the analysis: personal drinking habits and gender. One finding was that the young people's own drinking habits influenced the way they perceived the three types of drinkers, and in particular how they perceived the difference between a heavy drinker and an alcoholic. Another finding was that the young women tended to describe the alcoholic in terms of drinking alone and in disguise, while the young men rather attributed problems at work to the alcoholic.