‘Maturing out’ as normative standard: qualitative interviews with young adult drinkers

ABSTRACT

Framed within a life-course perspective, this paper analyses the contents of the phenomenon ‘maturing out’ of adolescent drinking. We identify five dimensions of change that young adults’ drinking habits are expected to undergo when they reach their mid-twenties: using alcohol to maintain and develop existing relationships instead of building new relationships; drinking in differentiated ways instead of always to get drunk; controlling one’s intoxication instead of transgressing limits; considering the day after drinking instead of ‘living for the night’; and drinking to ‘chill’ and not to ‘cope’. Maturing out, as described by our interviewees, is only loosely connected with the taking on of adult roles and responsibilities (related to e.g. work and family). Rather, maturing out is a powerful social norm urging young adults to change their drinking habits, regardless of their individual life situation – a status-forcing mechanism casting those who do not adapt as deviants. The analysis centres on 24 qualitative interviews with Danish 25–27-year-olds identified as ‘heavy drinkers’ in a preceding population survey.

KEYWORDS:

• Young adulthood
• transition
• qualitative interviews
• maturing out
• alcohol

Acknowledgement

This study was supported by ROCKWOOL Foundation, Denmark.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Around 50% of the survey respondents agreed to a subsequent qualitative interview. The proportion of respondents agreeing was higher among people at higher alcohol consumption levels than among people at lower levels.

2 Among all respondents in the survey, the proportion in employment was 35%

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by ROCKWOOL Foundation, Denmark.