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Abstract
Aims: To examine motivations for consumption of alcohol purchased off-trade when visiting on-trade licensed premises. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with nightclub patrons who also completed a drinking diary, detailing the time and place their previous week's alcohol consumption. Results: Drinking before entering nightclubs was the norm, although the location and extent of this ‘front-loading’ varied. Consuming alcohol purchased elsewhere while attending nightclubs (‘side-loading’) or continued drinking after leaving these premises (‘back-loading’) were reported much less frequently. Interviewees reported a range of psychosocial motives for consuming alcohol before or after night-club attendance, rather than a single reason (e.g. cost) Conclusions: The findings of this research imply that off-premises alcohol consumption by night-clubbers is widespread and motivated as much by the structure of the night-time economy as by price differentials between competing sectors of the licensed trade.
Acknowledgement
This paper is based on research funded by the Alcohol Education Research Council (AERC).
Declaration of interest
The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the paper.