“It´s Almost Like Going to a Party with Pink Sequins and an Umbrella on your Head” A Qualitative Research Study on the Experiences of Being Sober (or mostly sober) in the Norwegian Drinking Culture

Abstract

In this study, titled “It´s Almost Like Going to a Party with Pink Sequins and an Umbrella on your Head”: A Qualitative Research Study on the Experiences of being Sober (or mostly sober) in the Norwegian Drinking Culture, I have interviewed twelve non-drinking (or mostly non-drinking) individuals in order to find out how they experience being sober in the Norwegian drinking culture.

The research topic is how non-drinking individuals experience being sober in the Norwegian drinking culture. This study shines light on the discourses of being sober, how abstinence from alcohol is being perceived by drinkers and how the non-drinkers perceive the drinking culture that surrounds them. I have also explored the concepts of identity and deviancy in relation to the non-consumption of alcohol.

The study has found that there is a conflict of discourse between the two sides (drinking vs. non-drinking), which one could state is a hegemonic struggle of contrasting values. Non-drinkers may experience stigmatization in forms of drinking pressure and the social obligation of justifying their non-drinking to drinkers. The study has also found that different types of cultural capital affect how individuals develop a relationship (or non-relationship) to alcohol use.