Alcohol Intoxication and Young Adults

Scientific Analysis Corporation, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will examine the meaning, practices, and contexts of alcohol intoxication among young adults. Alcohol intoxication is associated with a wide range of health problems and adverse consequences, is a major risk factor for mortality and morbidity, and can lead to a host of social problems. The existing research indicates that gender patterns in alcohol consumption may be converging, yet it is unclear if the meaning, practices, and contexts of intoxication for men and women are also converging. The vast majority of research on alcohol use and intoxication has been conducted within epidemiological, psychological, treatment, or bio-health traditions, however in this sociological study our aim is to examine issues of the meaning of intoxication for young adult men and women. The primary data collection tool will be in-depth interviews with 50 young adults, between the ages of 18 to 25, who drink to intoxication. The interview will include a survey with open-ended questions to gather extensive information about their beliefs about intoxication; the social practices, settings, and perceived consequences of intoxication; and the role and meanings of alcohol intoxication within their lives. Broader Impacts of the project include making an important contribution to sociological inquiry, and especially the connections between social context and cultural consumption. In addition, the results will produce important information about the meaning, practices, and contexts of alcohol intoxication in a diverse sample of young adult men and women. The knowledge generated can make an important contribution to public health and policy by expanding and transforming knowledge about alcohol intoxication from the perspective of young adults.