This essay shows how six adults in the age between 26 and 71 relate to alcohol and talk about the importance of alcohol in their early lives, when they grew up and now in their everyday life. Three men and three women participates in this study. I used the snowball method and Facebook to get in touch with people to interview. A short summary and presentation was sent out through e-mail to a total amount of ten persons. There are six persons participating in this study, four through physically recorded interviews and two answered the interview questions through e-mail. Theoretical perspectives in this essay is Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmanns phenomenology and Sara Ahmeds queer phenomenology. The aim for this study was partly to show how these persons, as individual subjects, relate to alcohol but also how they look at the body’s orientation in spaces where alcohol is present such as the pub. Both the women and the men in this study talked about the pub as a place where it’s expensive and that the supply is limited. The pub was not described as a particularly nice place. The women in this study talked about that they don’t feel a need to drink alcohol or to become drunk. The men in this study primarily see alcohol as a type of meal drink. When it comes to differences between masculinity and femininity associated with alcohol this essay shows that the women in this study often think about the risks of drinking too much or they look down on others drinking too much. The men in this study showed awareness of the fact that women are more likely to be corrected if they drink too much and that it’s easier for men to become drunk without anyone correcting them.

This diploma thesis investigates the relationship between the business cycle and the alcohol consumption by using aggregate data for Czech Republic and constituent regions of Czech Republic in the period 1994-2011. The key question of this study is whether alcohol consumption is pro-cyclical or counter-cyclical. This question was asked in many works (Ruhm, Black, 2002). Unlike American studies, in which alcohol consumption is pro-cyclical, my study shows that the decrease of economic conditions has resulted in increased alcohol consumption in society and therefore indicates to me counter-cyclical. I also found that the divorce has a positive effect on alcohol consumption, while the real price has a negative effect.

A qualitative study was performed using the focus group methodology with first year university students in Greater Lima, to learn about their drinking habits and explore the main determinants of their alcohol consumption. Four homogeneous focus groups (by gender and social class) were organized, with group sizes between 5 and 9. Content analysis of the discussions revealed that the stressors experienced by these students are similar to those of other western adolescents, yet that economic difficulties and weight concerns (among females) provide additional stress. Expectancies towards alcohol were predominantly positive and partly reflected those of American adolescents (social enhancement, tension reduction and improved cognitive/motor abilities), although additional expectancies were mentioned (pleasure, diversion, loss of inhibitions, selfconfidence and group acceptance) and others were considered less important (sexual enhancement, increased arousal, and cognitive/motor impairment). Self-efficacy to refuse alcohol was not perceived as an important determinant of alcohol use. / Se presenta un estudio cualitativo –focus group- para conocer los hábitos de consumo del alcohol y los principales determinantes de su uso entre estudiantes universitarios de la ciudad de Lima. Se organizaron cuatro grupos homogéneos (por género y nivel socio económico) con 5 a 9 participantes. El análisis de contenido reveló que los estresores experimentados son similares a los reportados por los adolescentes occidentales, sin embargo, reportaron estrés adicional por las dificultades económicas y el control de peso (entre las mujeres).Las expectativas sobre el alcohol fueron positivas y reflejaron lo mismo que en los adolescentes norteamericanos (mejora social, reducción de la tensión y mejora de habilidades motoras/cognitivas), aunque también se mencionaron expectativas adicionales (placer, diversión, pérdida de inhibiciones, auto confianza y aceptación del grupo). Otras fueron consideradas menos importantes (mejora sexual, incremento de la activación y deterioro cognitivo/motor). La autoeficacia para rechazar el alcohol no fue percibida como un determinanteimportante entre los participantes.

Europe is known for being the continent, in which most alcohol is consumed. The amount consumed varies across the continent and is highest in the Nordic and Baltic countries. The tradition of how alcohol is consumed differs across Europe. Generally, the south of Europe consumes alcohol more frequently, but in smaller quantities. While in the north part of Europe larger quantities are consumed on fewer occasions, this is also referred to as binge drinking. However, this alone is not able to explain the variance in consumption patterns. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the selected national performance measurements on alcohol consumption. The average annual wage, unemployment rate and percentage of GDP spent on health expenditure were chosen based on previous research. The price-setting on alcohol was chosen as a representation of consumption restricting policies. A panel data regression is performed on eight countries from the period 2008 to 2017. The results show that there is a relationship between the dependent variable's health expenditure and price index and the independent variables. More specifically that health expenditure and price indexes have a negative relationship with alcohol consumption. Furthermore, in the last chapter future studies and policies are suggested.

Thesis (M.A.(Social Work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Alcohol consumption by young people continues to be a social problem that is associated with major health complications later in life. More youth engage in alcohol consumption frequently with a decreasing age of debut. The current study aimed at exploring and describing the prevalence, patterns and context of youth alcohol consumption in Musina Town, Limpopo Province. A convergence mixed method was employed. This was complemented by an exploratory-descriptive design. Using random stratified and purposive sampling techniques, data was collected from grade 11 learners by way of a survey and a focus group discussion. Data collected from the study show that there is a high prevalence of alcohol use amongst the youth in Musina as almost two thirds (61%) of the survey participants reported to be current alcohol users. Patterns of consumption include drinking during weekends and holidays with binge drinking and drinking until drunkenness being the main forms of alcohol consumption. There was no difference in binge drinking between male and female alcohol drinkers, with 22% of each gender reporting to consume more than five drinks a session. Contexts of alcohol consumption by the youth include drinking at various social gatherings, school, at home, unlicensed liquor outlets, drinking to have fun or as a coping mechanism. Young alcohol consumers have little to no concern about their drinking behaviour, which is exacerbated by alcohol drinking permissive culture and the availability of alcohol. Keywords: Youth, Alcohol consumption, Prevalence, Patterns, Availability

Obesity has becoming one of the nation’s largest health concerns. An individual’s physical activity, diet, sedentary behaviors, and alcohol consumption patterns all play a role in fluctuation of BMI. While it is known that all of these can affect obesity, it is less commonly known how these behaviors cluster together in emerging adulthood. Uncertainty shrouds how these characteristics cluster together in young-adults. The purpose of this study is to utilize the 2015-2016 NHANES data to explore relationships of alcohol consumption, physical activity and sedentary behaviors to ascertain how strongly these measures of health cluster, and in what demographics do they most strongly cluster. A two-step cluster analysis resulted in 4 clusters being created with physical activity being the predominate indicator for grouping. Continuing analyses regarding the association of race, sex, and BMI are being conducted.

I Sverige kan man se en nedåtgående trend när det gäller alkoholkonsumtion bland ungdomar. Denna studie utforskar ungdomars attityder till alkohol och vilka faktorer som kan påverka ungdomars alkoholkonsumtion utifrån socialpsykologiska teorier och ett genusperspektiv. Avsikten var att undersöka om det fanns skillnader och likheter mellan könen. Uppsatsen är en kvalitativ studie och urvalet bestod av tio respondenter mellan 15 - 20 år bosatta i Sverige. Det vi kom fram till var att det fanns skillnader i attityder till alkohol mellan könen, men att faktorerna som framkom var lika för båda könen. Det fanns små variationer mellan motiven bland de som konsumerade alkohol och de som inte konsumerade alkohol. Däremot var motiveringarna lika oavsett kön bland dem som drack alkohol. Hos de drickande respondenterna var motiveringarna lika oavsett kön. Studien baseras på Theory of planned behaviour, social påverkan, social tuning och referens till genussystemet för att nå en djupare förståelse för ungdomars förhållningssätt till alkohol. / Currently there is a downward trend considering alcohol consumption among young people in Sweden. This study explores attitudes towards alcohol and the factors that can affect alcohol consumption among young people. This is a qualitative study based on social psychological theories from a gender perspective and includes research models for the Theory of planned behavior, Social Influence and Social tuning. In this study a broadened perspective and a deeper understanding of the youth drinking culture are analysed. The investigation includes interviews with ten Swedish students between the ages of 15 and 20. The result shows that there are differences in attitudes to consume alcohol due to gender differences, but that the factors that emerged were the same for both genders. There were small variations in motivations among non-drinking respondents and the main differences could be found among non-drinkers and drinkers. Among respondents who had a positive attitude towards alcohol consumption, the motivation was the same independent of gender.

Thesis ( M.A. ( Clinical Psychology )) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / The aim of the study is to investigate the perceptions of alcohol use and its behavioral impact upon learners at Makgofe Area in the Limpopo Province. Quantitative, descriptive research was conducted to determine if there were any differences between the perceptions and the behavioural impact of alcohol use. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. A total number of 100 participants, divided into two groups, took part in the study. Fifty (50) learners, who drink alcohol, formed the experimental group, while another fifty (50) learners, who do not drink alcohol, formed the control group. Data was analysed using SPSS. The study has highlighted the perceptions held by learners and the behavioural impact it has on behaviour. The findings revealed that learners using alcohol perceive its usage positively. It was also found that leaners using alcohol perceive alcohol as having a positive impact on their behaviour. The study concludes by advocating psycho education regarding the use and effects of alcohol at schools around Limpopo Province.

Title: The influence of alcohol on memory in the elderly Objectives: To estimate association between alcohol consumption and memory in the elderly above 60 years of age. Methods: The master's thesis is a cross-sectional study. All data were acquired from the Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) project. For the purpose of this research, the participants were divided into four categories according to the highest acquired level of their education. For data analysis, Kruskal-Wallis Test and Mann-Whitney U test with Bonferoni's correction for post - hoc analysis were employed. The testing of participants involved immediate and delayed recall of 10 words. Results: In this research, a total of 36 534 participants were used. Out of this, 20 389 were females and 16 145 were males. In most categories, there were statistically significant differences in both tests, surprisingly preferring alcohol consumption (p<0.001). In males, who had problems with alcohol abuse during their life, the results of both tests were significantly worse (p<0.001). Conclusions: Results indicate statistically significant association between memory and alcohol consumption. Keywords: memory, cognitive functions, alcohol consumption, elderly, SHARE

I Sverige hamnar ungdomar mellan 18 och 19 år i en gråzon angående laglighet och alkohol. Tidigare forskning finns i mängder om ungdomar och alkohol, men en lucka finns gällande Sveriges gråzon. Denna studie hade som syfte att besvara hur relationen mellan ungdomars alkoholkonsumtion och popularitet, grupptryck, föräldrars alkoholsyn samt ortstorlek såg ut. Enkäten besvarades av 128 gymnasieungdomar i både mindre och större orter i Sverige. Frågorna gällande alkohol baserades på IQ:s alkoholprofil, och frågorna om popularitet och grupptryck konstruerades ursprungligen av Santor et al (2000). Materialet analyserades i SPSS genom en multipel regressionsanalys och Pearsonkorrelationer. Resultaten visade främst att grupptryck var den starkaste prediktorn för ökad alkoholkonsumtion. Vidare visade det sig att strikta föräldrar genererade lägre alkoholskonsumtion, och att mindre orter innebar mer olagligt drickande. Studien kan bidra till ökad förståelse för ungdomars alkoholkultur samt kan vara till nytta för skolhälsan.