Drinker Identity Development: Shame, Pride, and a Thirst to Belong

Abstract

Identity theorists assume that individuals intentionally construct and maintain a culturally valued sense of self. Although this logic makes sense for positive identities—doctor, parent, or scientist—it becomes questionable when applied to the construction of negative, or stigmatized, identities, such as that of a drinker. By interviewing 16 members of a metropolitan recovery community, I focus on how marginalized identities form seemingly absent of intention. In doing so, I show how stress and negative messaging from guardians, peers, and community members produce persistent painful emotions that restrict access to culturally valued identity pathways and steer individuals toward spaces of consumption. Through each lost socially valued role, the drinker identity becomes more salient, achieving more importance in daily life and becoming central to individuals’ lived experiences. That is, the drinker role becomes a primary source of positive affect and belongingness when these essential ingredients of social life are unobtainable elsewhere. More broadly, I challenge current theoretical assumptions that dominated intervention strategies and recovery policy for decades and offer considerations for policy and intervention programs.