‘Let’s get wasted’: A discourse analysis of teenagers’ talk about binge drinking

Abstract

Teenage binge drinking is a significant health issue. To explore teenagers talk about binge drinking, four peer-group interviews were conducted with 20 teenagers, aged 16–18 years, with experience of excessive alcohol use. A discourse analysis showed that a ‘drinking is cool’ discourse constructed ‘getting wasted’ as an integral part of social life, while a ‘drinking as a social lubricant’ discourse described the behavioural functions of alcohol use. Participants also actively resisted an ‘alcohol is bad’ discourse, which acknowledges the risks of alcohol use. The findings illustrate how teenagers use these resources in sophisticated ways to position the teen drinker positively and negatively.