First drink: What does it mean? The alcohol socialization process in different drinking cultures

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this qualitative research is to show how the alcohol socialization process – i.e. the ways children and young people get acquainted with alcohol – can generate very diverse experiences and meanings in different cultural contexts.

Method: A total of 16 focus groups were conducted in Italy and Finland, divided by age (4 groups), gender and socio-cultural level. A total of 190 participants took part in the study.

Findings: The findings support the hypothesis that the alcohol socialization process takes place in very different ways and assumes diverse meaning in the two countries involved in the study. In Italy the relationship with alcohol takes place as part of a gradual process and participants’ first memories of drinking alcohol are connected to positive values. In Finland, on the other hand, often the first experiences of drinking overlap with the first experiences of intoxication and alcohol images reflect an ambiguous relation with this substance, closely related to its intoxicating effects.

Conclusions: Results show that the alcohol socialization process can take very different forms and meanings according to a specific drinking cultures. Thus, further comparative research should take into more consideration the implication of these substantial differences.

Notes

Notes

1. Only one Finnish focus group included both men and women.

2. Quotes are introduced by codes indicating age group, sex (Male/Female), socio-cultural level (High/Low) and country (IT/FIN).

3. A ‘finger’ is a typical, informal and absolutely variable unit of measurement for alcoholic beverages in Italy, equal to about a ½ inch of liquid in any given glass.