“Above the Influence”: How College Students Communicate About the Healthy Deviance of Alcohol Abstinence

Abstract

Consumption of alcohol is widespread in U.S. culture, particularly among college students. Using a communication privacy management framework (Petronio, 2002), this study examined how college students who abstain from alcohol negotiate communication of their nondrinking status and establish meaning in a culture in which drinking is the norm. Through 25 face-to-face interviews, this article explores the experiences of “healthy deviants”—individuals who engage in healthy behavior that violates traditional norms. Interviews identified that participants relied on privacy rules when determining whether and how to disclose their nondrinking status. If participants perceived more costs from the disclosure than rewards, they did not disclose. Participants enacted specific strategies to manage (non)disclosure of their abstinence from alcohol, providing practical ways for people who engage in healthy deviance to avoid or manage stigma.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author would like to thank the participants for sharing their experiences, the anonymous reviewers for their valuable feedback, and associate editor Laura Ellingson for her commitment to the betterment of the article.