Socially Obligatory Drinking: A Sociological Analysis of Norms Governing Minimum Drinking Levels

Abstract

In many social situations, the consumption of at least some alcohol is socially obligatory—at least for some participants. This paper focuses on the norms that govern minimum levels of consumption in such settings. Evidence for the existence of such norms is derived from the empirical literature on drinking and on my own research on reactions to non-drinking and lighter-drinking men in New Zealand. Reactions encountered ranged from subtle nonverbal responses to threats of physical force. These responses add weight to the contention that abstinence and lighter drinking can be thought of as deviance relative to minimum drinking norms. Identifying abstinence and lighter drinking as deviance locates the study of minimum drinking norms within the ambit of the alcohol branch of the sociology of deviance. This raises some interesting issues from a public health point of view and partially balances the historical bias in favor of studying maximum drinking norms.