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Young people and alcohol abstention: youth cultural practices and being a non-drinker in Finland and Australia

ABSTRACT Internationally, there has been a significant increase in the numbers of young people choosing not to drink alcohol. This is counter to the weight of opinion that positions young people as irresponsible and as engaging in ‘risky’ behaviour. In this context, our article seeks to understand why young people choose not to drink alcohol. Drawing on original data from interviews conducted with young people between the ages of 18 and 29 in Finland and Australia, this article makes visible the tensions between youth cultural practices and personal decisions around alcohol consumption. We argue that this tension is at the heart of ‘soft stigma’ and it is through various ‘strategies of action’ that the young adults in the study overcame or managed the actual or potential stigma experienced. After analysing our data, we found six key ways in which participants managed the potential stigma and isolation of being a young person who does not drink: (1) selecting the right response and crowd; (2) taking the focus away from alcohol; (3) having a group or scene of non-drinkers; (4) being active and having fun; (5) understanding non-drinking as an individual choice and control; and (6) moralising alcohol consumption.