Young people and drinking in Italy: the good side of familism

Abstract

Since the 1990s, young people’s drinking has been a matter of public concern, attracting considerable media attention that has contributed to spreading the alarm. The purpose of this article is to dispel some stereotypes about youth drinking in Italy, by putting it in an international perspective and explaining some of the key factors that have contributed so far to limiting the spread of at-risk alcohol consumption when compared to other countries. Among these factors, the persistence of social values that emphasize family ties and the sharing of informal norms between adults and young people seem to play a prominent role. However, both the spread of increasingly individualistic values at a global level, and the growing complexity of transitions to adulthood could lead to changes in consumption patterns among Italian youth in the near future and increase risky behaviours.

Keywords:

• Young people
• youth drinking cultures
• alcohol socialization
• qualitative methods

Notes

1. With a daily circulation of 443,939 copies (Accertamento Diffusione Stampa (ADS) 2014). available at http://www.adsnotizie.it/

2. Source: Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica, CNR.

3. We refer to a series of comparative studies conducted by the research group from Eclectica, Institute for Training and Research in Turin, and the University of Helsinki (Finland). This comparative research corpus is based on data collected and analysed by native language-speaking researchers using various sets and methods specifically designed for the comparison of qualitative data.

4. ‘One per cent of alcohol-dependent Italians are under 19. Drinkers begin as early as nine years old.’

5. Forty group discussions, involving a total of 267 participants.

6. Fifteen focus groups involving a total of 105 students aged 13–16.