Introduction

This edited volume brings together cutting-edge research on drinking practices among young adults. This substantially revised and expanded second edition builds on the award-winning work of the first edition and adds new chapters on: young people’s drinking in low- and middle-income countries, the impact of the alcohol industry and of the Covid 19 pandemic.

New Sections and Focus

An entirely new section examines important shifts in drinking practices during and since the Covid-19 pandemic including a focus on ‘lockdown drinking’ and the transition back (or not) to physical drinking spaces since the height of the pandemic.

Understanding Drinking Styles

In acknowledging the complex nature of drinking styles among young adults, the contributors to this collection eschew traditional understandings of young adult drinking which can pathologise and generalise. We showcase a range of interdisciplinary and disciplinary perspectives and advocate for an inclusive approach, evident in the wide range of international settings, cultural perspectives, backgrounds and methods represented in this book, in order to better understand the economic, socio-cultural and pharmacological crossroads at which we now stand.

Target Audience

This book will appeal in particular to researchers, practitioners and policy makers working in the fields of alcohol and substance use, public health and health psychology, in addition to students and researchers from across the social sciences.