In a recent study published in the journal Alcohol Clinical & Experimental Research, The researchers examined typical drinking motives in young adults and their associations with demographics, schedules (daily vs. weekend), and patterns of alcohol use. They used a 14-day daily questionnaire-based survey approach for their investigations to identify factors that could be used in future alcohol abuse interventions. The study’s findings revealed that “not interested in drinking” was the most common reason for abstaining from alcohol (83.4%), followed by “I didn’t want to get drunk” (81.8%). Among those who substituted a different drug for alcohol, cannabis was the most commonly reported (81.8%).
Together, these findings highlight that “personal decisions” are young adults’ main reason for abstaining from alcohol and identify situational barriers (such as financial concerns) as critical points that clinicians and policymakers can capitalize on for future alcohol-centered interventions. in this at-risk population.
Study: Prevalence and correlates of everyday reasons for not drinking among young adults who use alcohol. Image credit: AndreyCherkasov / Shutterstock
Record
A study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA, 2022) identified alcohol as the most common substance abuse among young adults (ages 18-25). Alcohol is known to have a substantial negative impact on this vulnerable age group, contributing to an increase in road accidents, physical and sexual assaults and physiological trauma (eg cirrhosis of the liver).
Despite public health interventions that are slowly reducing alcohol use (and related disorder), youth alcohol consumption is still significantly higher than in most other age groups. As of 2022, reports from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and others still find that 30.5% and 9.5% of young adults are heavy and heavy drinkers (HID), respectively. Together, this literature highlights the need to understand the underlying motivations for and against alcohol consumption as a preliminary step to limiting its global influence.
Decades of research have hypothesized and tested the role of “reasons and motivations” (perception, social enhancement, and compliance) as proximal risk factors in substance abuse. Coping and compliance have been highlighted as frequently cited reasons for drinking. Surprisingly, “reasons not to drink” are often overlooked in the literature, especially in research at the everyday level. This leaves policy indicators with little information about the population’s perceived disadvantages of drinking. Furthermore, the effects of confounding variables such as demographics, patterns of alcohol use, and times of drinking remain understudied.
About the study
The present study aims to answer two main questions: 1. How often do regular young adult drinkers abstain from drinking and what are the commonly accepted reasons for doing so? 2. What is the role of confounding variables (demographics, timing, motives and alcohol use behaviors) in changing the results of question 1?
The participant cohort was drawn from the Young Adult Daily Life (YADL) study (year 4 data set – 2022). Of the 14,502 participants enrolled in the nationally representative United States (US) YADL study, 1,208 had missing data and 10,262 did not report 30-day alcohol use (eligibility criteria) and were thus excluded from the current analyses. An additional 1,439 participants were lost during the four-year follow-up period. Data were collected through a baseline survey (30 min) and 14 daily questionnaire surveys (5–7 min), each of which included 12 questions about participants’ alcohol consumption on that particular day.
For confounding data analyses, participants’ drinking habits were categorized into regular drinking (<5 ποτά στη σειρά), υπερβολική κατανάλωση αλκοόλ (5 ή περισσότερα ποτά σε μια δεδομένη ημέρα) και κατανάλωση αλκοόλ υψηλής έντασης (HID, 10 ή περισσότερα ποτά σε δεδομένη ημέρα). Το ερωτηματολόγιο για τα κίνητρα κατανάλωσης αλκοόλ (DMQ-R, 20 στοιχεία) χρησιμοποιήθηκε για την αξιολόγηση των λόγων/κινήτρων των συμμετεχόντων για υπερφαγία ή HID. Ζητήθηκαν δημογραφικά δεδομένα του YADL για το φύλο, την εθνικότητα και την τρέχουσα κατάσταση στο κολέγιο των συμμετεχόντων (> or <4 years of college education). Statistical analyzes included descriptive and multilevel logistic regression models to reveal day- and person-level predictors adjusted for confounding variables.
Study findings
Of the 14,502 YADL participants initially enrolled in the study and more than 2,000 screened at baseline, only 765 provided completed daily questionnaires and were included in the final analysis. Statistical evaluations revealed that “I was not interested in drinking” was the most commonly reported reason for abstaining from drinking (83.4% days), with an almost ubiquitous 97.2% of participants reporting this reason at least once once during the 14 days. research. “I didn’t want to get drunk”, “I didn’t want alcohol to interfere with my school/work” and “I usually don’t drink on weekdays” were other commonly reported reasons for abstaining from alcohol (81.8%, 58.4% , and 58.7% of days, respectively).
72.6% of participants, most of whom were women, highlighted the need for monetary priority over alcohol as a reason for choosing not to drink. Close to 1/3rd of participants (29.5%) reported replacing alcohol with a different drug, with cannabis (81.8%) being the most common substitute.
Demographic analyzes revealed that women were more likely than their male counterparts to abstain from alcohol for monetary, layoff, or interest reasons. Encouragingly, length of college education was positively associated with abstinence from alcohol and drugs, possibly due to the frequency of campus-based substance abuse intervention programs. Surprisingly, binge- and HID had almost no statistically significant correlations with reasons for or against drinking, with “I had a hangover recently” being the only exception.
…heavy (vs. moderate) drinking and HID (vs. moderate) at the person level were associated with higher odds of endorsing “I had a hangover recently” and lower odds of endorsing “I don’t drink alcohol”. Those who endorsed more coping motives were more likely to endorse “I needed money for things other than alcohol” and “I upset my family/friends when I drink alcohol.” Those who endorsed more motivation to improve were more likely to endorse “I used another drug instead of alcohol” and lower odds to endorse “I don’t drink alcohol.” Those who endorsed more compliance motivations were more likely to endorse “I had no one to drink with,” “I upset my family/friends when I drink alcohol,” and “I was in quarantine or sick.”
conclusions
Findings from the present study contribute to filling a persistent gap in the motivational model of alcohol use risk – reasons for use and avoidance. The study’s findings highlight that motivation to abstain from drinking is a primarily personal decision influenced by monetary, coping and compliance concerns. Encouragingly, comparisons between college-going and college-absent participants suggest that campus-based intervention programs may encourage young adults to stop not only drinking but also other drug use. Together, these findings highlight the need to increase informed and personalized intervention programs that may help reduce young adults’ alcohol dependence and associated risk behaviors.
