Spaces

Recommendations

Info

WHAT INFLUENCES ALCOHOL USE? Individual: Race/ethnicity, immigration status, SES, etc. Microsystem : Family and home environment, schools and peers, work-peer networks, peer support, family support, parental monitoring, parental alcohol use, etc. Community: Community norms and attitudes regarding alcohol use, cultural norms, gender norms, etc. Macro/Policy level: Advertisement and marketing, policy related to alcohol use. A social–ecological framework for explaining influences on alcohol use. Individual-level factors that influence alcohol use are nested within home, work, and school environments, which are nested within the larger community. Macro-level factors, such as exposure to advertising, may influence family and peer network attitudes and norms, which ultimately affect individual attitudes and behaviors. Alcohol consumption varies across gender and race/ethnicity. Across the world, men consume more alcohol than women, and women in more developed countries drink more than women in developing countries. Men are much more likely than women to use alcohol (56.7 percent vs. 47.8 percent, respectively), to binge drink (30.4 percent vs. 16 percent, respectively), and to report heavy drinking (9.9 percent vs. 3.4 percent, respectively). Among racial and ethnic groups, Whites report the highest overall alcohol use among persons age 12 and over (57.4 percent). Like other health issues, alcohol use can be linked to a complex array of factors ranging from individual-level (genetics) to population-level (cultural and societal factors) characteristics. On a population level, emerging research has documented the relationship between social determinants and health and, specifically, the social epidemiology of alcohol use. Social capital theory suggests that social networks and connections influence health. Individuals who have higher levels of social support and community cohesion generally are thought to be healthier because they have better links to basic health information, better access to health services, and greater financial support with medical costs C O S M O | 1 2
FAMILY AND PEER PRESSURE The question now might be, why are we being pressured to drink? Essentially, we are tribal social animals. From an evolutionary perspective, early humans had to form social groups to hunt, gather food, protect each other and survive. As a result, we have evolved tendencies to support group cohesion by conforming to group norms and shunning nonconformity. So if we tend to associate with people who are like us and engage in similar behaviours, and we start doing things in a way that goes against the group norms, such as not drinking in a social situation, this can be a challenge to the acceptability of that behaviour in the group. Peer norms play an important role at this life stage. By the late adolescent period, parental influences related to alcohol use are small compared with peer influences. Much of the focus on peer influences has highlighted the risk networks associated with alcohol use. In a culture like ours where drinking alcohol is such a big part of socialising, saying no can make you feel left out or like you’re not having as much fun. Peer pressure, as you probably know, is the influence people sometimes use to make us behave in a way we don’t necessarily want to, or stop us doing things we do want to do. If our peers all seem to be doing something or have a certain opinion, we can feel under pressure to do or think the same so we don’t get left out. A peer can be anyone you look up to or someone who you would think is an equal in age or ability. A peer could be a friend, someone in the community or even someone on TV. You might come under peer pressure to live up to either an individual or group’s expectations or follow a particular fashion or trend. Peer pressure can be both overt and inadvertent. For example, a group of popular students may all be drinking alcohol and they may be considered cool. Others will strive to also be seen in this same light and may then participate in the modeled behavior (drinking alcohol) to try and fit in with this social group, whether or not they are asked to join in. The perception that "everyone is doing it" can also influence a teenager to consume alcohol so they are part of the crowd. It can be hard for teens to view themselves, or to be viewed by others, as different; if the perception is that everyone else is drinking alcohol then they are more likely to also drink alcohol. Teenagers are also prone to exaggerating their exploits to make themselves appear cool or to advance themselves in the social hierarchy. It is entirely possible that they are not actually drinking as much as they claim to be; however, others may think that they are, and this social perception can lead to more drinking by those striving to fit in socially. Peer pressure can be both overt and inadvertent. Direct peer pressure involves one person to another, with things like offering someone a drink explicitly or encouraging a person to drink. This may happen in a social situation like a party. Drinks may be refilled without asking for them to be; a person may buy another a drink; or someone may give another a hard time if they are not drinking. It may be difficult for a young person to "just say no,” as it may make them feel like an outcast. Others may even ostracize and socially isolate a person who decides not to drink. Direct peer pressure can also come in the form of an invitation to a social situation with the expectation that drinking will occur. Peer pressure can also be less overt and more indirect. This form of peer pressure may occur as social meeting. 03 C O S M O | 1 3
Page 1 and 2: D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 COSMO NON A
Page 3 and 4: Biography "Work smart, not hard" Sm
Page 5 and 6: B AND R MIXOLOGY T E N D E R The mi
Page 8 and 9: Because creating with style is nice
Page 10 and 11: How non alcoholic drinks came to be
Page 14 and 15: DISCRIMINATION AND IT’S EFFECTS O
Page 16 and 17: Why are non alcoholic drinks so int
Page 18 and 19: WHICH ARE THE NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS?
Page 21 and 22: Whether it's for your guests or you
Page 23 and 24: They are super easy to make and fai
Page 25 and 26: Cocktail without alcohol? It's all
Page 27 and 28: A part of creating this magazine wa

Spaces

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?