Angelica Maria is getting more and more invitations to help parents and teachers discuss alcohol denormalization.
In this opinion article she shares insights on how families can lead the change to replace the harmful alcohol norm and promote health.
She explores eight factors to explain the alcohol norm.
And she shares seven things families can do to question and replace the harmful alcohol norm.

More and more families are becoming aware of the negative effects of the harmful alcohol norm in their societies and communities. And they are stepping up to replace the harmful alcohol norm with healthier social norms. They recognize that the alcohol norm doesn’t just affect individuals but entire communities, shaping how we socialize, celebrate, and even raise our children. 

This opinion article is inspired by the growing interest of families in Colombia who want change and seek ideas to make that change happen. That’s why we explore the ways the alcohol norm affects our lives and how families, together, can contribute to replacing it, changing the narrative, and live in healthier social norms. By understanding how the alcohol norm works, we can take small yet significant steps toward a culture that values well-being for all.

Understanding the impact of the pervasive alcohol norm

So, what does it mean to live in a society with a pervasive alcohol norm?

It means that alcohol consumption has become so normalized that people in our communities feel unfamiliar, uneasy, or even confused when someone prefers not to consume alcohol. This is typical of social environments that center more on alcohol than on the people, especially children. This is typical of social environments where going alcohol-free (for whatever reason or duration) is not accepted as “normal” human behavior and is only seen as acceptable if it’s backed by specific, often exceptional, circumstances.

In societies where the pervasive alcohol norm is deeply ingrained, people tend to share common thought patters and mental constructions, such as: 

  • A positive bias toward alcohol: Having only or mainly positive beliefs about alcoholic products.
  • Normalization of harm: Expecting positive effects from alcohol while ignoring, downplaying, or relativizing the very real negative consequences of alcohol use.
  • Alcohol conditioning: Associating alcohol or specific alcohol products with places or situations, usually assuming that those places or experiences would be worthless or meaningless without alcohol.
  • Pluralistic ignorance: Assuming that everyone consumes alcohol and likes to consume alcohol everywhere and all the time; and even ignoring the reality that in many societies – such as in Colombia – the majority does not consume alcohol, and that in all societies most people do not actually want to consume alcohol all the time, everywhere.

Beyond these mental constructions, biases, and patterns of thinking about alcohol that operate at the individual level – literally in our minds, communities collectively also share common features that are affected by the pervasive alcohol norm:

  • Alcohol myth perpetuation: Repeating and replicating myths about alcohol and even taking alcohol myths over to the degree that they become a world view and expectation of other people’s behavior and environments.
  • Unfair privileges: Excusing the behavior of people when they are (or are assumed to be) under the influence of alcohol, even though their behavior would be socially not acceptable otherwise, harmful or even illegal, such as making racist jokes, treating women inappropriately, harassing people, or driving alcohol impaired.
  • Social penalties: Socially sanctioning people who do not want to consume alcohol, and enforcing “valid” reasons for why it would be justified for someone to not consume alcohol. Such “valid” reasons reinforce the alcohol norm and are limited in scope, such as being underage (“not yet”), pregnant (“soon again”), driving (“unfortunately”), or having an alcohol use disorder/ living in recovery from alcohol dependence.
  • Alcogenic environments: Creating and prioritizing circumstances and environments where alcohol is dominant and even the default, where the freedom to diverge from the norm is limited because of lack of options and because alcohol is the default in the first place. And so it becomes impossible or challenging for people to follow their own preferences of not consuming alcohol.

Four elements at the individual level and four elements at the community and collective level illustrate why the alcohol norm is so pervasive. But who contributes to these mental constructions, expectations, social behaviors, and environments that put alcohol before people and make the alcohol norm so pervasive?

Who contributes to creating the pervasive alcohol norm?

The alcohol industry is the most significant contributor to creating a strong alcohol norm. Using aggressive marketing strategies, the alcohol industry establishes an environment that makes alcohol seem as the default and as an essential part of life, targeting young people with brands and ads that position alcohol as desirable and harmless.

The alcohol industry pumps billions of dollars into perpetuating the current alcohol norm, affecting people and societies.

For example, some of the largest alcohol companies in the world spent at least $17 billion in 2017 on marketing not only to sell their products but to control the narrative around alcohol, influence behavior and consumption, and create confusion and misinformation about alcohol harms, alcohol’s effects, and people’s preferences regarding alcohol.

AB InBev is the ninth largest advertiser in the world, with global spending estimated at $6.2 billion in 2017. Suntory Holdings (Beam Suntory) spent $3.3 billion, Diageo spent $2.5 billion, Heineken spent $2.4 billion), Pernod Ricard spent $2.0 billion, and Molson Coors spent $1.3 billion on alcohol advertising in 2017. They all rank among the world’s 100 largest advertising spenders in 2017.

$17.7 Bn
Alcohol marketing spending by 6 biggest alcohol advertizers in 2017
Some of the largest alcohol companies in the world spent nearly $18 billion on alcohol marketing in 2017 on marketing

In general, adults play a central role in normalizing alcohol and perpetuating the alcohol norm, particularly those in influential positions. Adults with high social capital and above average socio-economic status, such as lawmakers, doctors, educators, media figures and journalists, as well as musicians, actors, cultural leaders all play a big role in normalizing alcohol and fueling the alcohol norm.

For example, when politicians resist implementing evidence-based alcohol policies to protect children and adolescents from alcohol harm and choose to prioritize alcohol industry profit greed instead, they allow alcohol harm to remain a part of everyday life.

Another example is journalists. They shape perceptions through the stories they choose to tell – and how they tell those stories. Healthcare professionals, especially doctors, may overlook or even oppose to incorporate latest scientific evidence about the harms alcohol causes and they often fail to discuss the health risks of alcohol with their patients. Educators and community leaders can fail to challenge the alcohol norm and expect everyone, including young people, to like alcohol and use it. They often make the mistake to assume that all children will begin to consume alcohol, while reality shows that children often don’t like alcohol. Meanwhile, the media often glorifies alcohol in TV shows, movies, and music. Even parents contribute to the perpetuation of the harmful alcohol norm.

In such a society, where the alcohol norm dominates and where Big Alcohol fuels the alcohol norm with massive spending on marketing and where other groups of adults with high social status, capital, and wealth (often inadvertently) contribute to the alcohol norm, parents and families can play an important role.

The importance of replacing the alcohol norm in the family

When parents and families begin thinking critically about the role alcohol plays in their lives, in family functions and in the wider community, they open the possibility to question long-held assumptions about alcohol, to realize if alcohol has negative effects on family members and the family as a whole and they get the possibility to put in place healthier social norms.

How does all that help promote the health, well-being, and development of children and adolescents?

When alcohol consumption is no longer considered the norm or even expected, young people will stop feeling like they need to use alcohol to fit in or be “normal.” They will instead experience space to have honest conversations about how they perceive alcohol affects their surroundings.

They’ll also have the chance to enjoy a life where alcohol is not a central feature of social interactions. It won’t be something they feel pressured to use to participate in social activities.

Importantly, they’ll learn healthier ways to develop self-esteem and self-confidence, to deal with life challenges and to enjoy themselves without relying on alcohol as a safety blanket.

And if they grow up to be adults who rarely or never use alcohol, they’ll significantly reduce their risk of developing serious health issues like cancer, heart disease, addiction, and other health conditions.

What can families do at home to replace the harmful alcohol norm?

Families can do many things to replace the harmful alcohol norm and to better promote the health of all family members, especially children and youth.

These are the conversations I’m having when parents and teachers invite me to discuss the alcohol norm and how to denormalize alcohol.

1. Reflect on your attitudes toward alcohol

How do you talk about alcohol? Which jokes do you make? Do you automatically assume alcohol will be present at every family gathering? Do you assume all kids like and consume alcohol? How do you feel about the idea of alcohol-free events, such as a 15th birthday party or a prom?

A deep dive that we put together in Movendi International illustrates the harms caused by the currently pervasive alcohol norm. You can use it to reflect about your attitudes toward alcohol and to deconstruct the alcohol norm. For example, people’s real preferences are much more diverse than only using or not using alcohol; and many people prefer social settings liberated from alcohol.

2. Educate yourself on the harms

Are you aware of the full range of harms alcohol causes – to health, the economy, society, and the environment? Are you aware of how alcohol affects your family, work place, community? Or are your perceptions shaped by decades of alcohol industry messaging?

3. Don’t assume young people want to use alcohol

Contrary to popular belief, many young people today are not interested in alcohol, a reality that scares the alcohol industry. That’s why they’re constantly inventing new products to appeal to younger generations and keep their brands relevant.

Alcohol consumption among younger generations has been declining for years. Starting in the United States in the late 1990s, and spreading to several other high-income countries in the early 2000s, young people began to consuming less alcohol compared to previous generations, or to avoid consuming alcohol altogether. 

The proportion of 16- to 24-year-olds who report consuming alcohol in the last week fell from 67% in 2002 to 37% in 2021.

This is a decline of 44% in the past decade.

The decline was even steeper for younger teens. 

37%
Falling prevalence of youth alcohol use
In 2021, 37% of adolescents consumed alcohol in the past week, down from 67% in 2002.

The social norms among young people are pro health, sustainability, and inclusion. Young people do not like manipulation and they have strong values about human and planetary health, making them more critical about the impact of big business on the world they are inheriting.

4. Normalize family moments liberated from alcohol

How can you make family time about connection, games, music, fun, and shared experiences – instead of alcohol? How can you make visible that many family members enjoy social settings free from alcohol?

5. Enjoy more events and celebrations free from alcohol use

Are you considering how your use of alcohol in certain situations may impact your children? They often feel anxious when they see their parents and other adults under the influence of alcohol. By participating in more events and celebrations without using alcohol, you set a powerful example for your children and show them that enjoyable moments don’t need to revolve around this product. 

According to world-class research, less restrictive parental attitudes towards children’s alcohol use are associated with increases in children’s alcohol use onset, alcohol use frequency and intoxication. Children’s perception of less restrictive parental attitudes is associated with children’s alcohol use.

Alcohol use is influenced by a variety of factors, including attitudes and social norms. If the social norm supports parents introducing alcohol to children, children might mistakenly assume that their parents are more lenient, even when this is not the case,” said Professor Stephen Sutton, senior author of the study, as per EurekaAlert.

Professor Stephen Sutton

The results of another study about parental alcohol use and their children’s risk of depression or anxiety found that in some family settings, even “normal” levels of parental alcohol use might trigger children to develop anxiety and/or depression in adolescence and early adulthood.

Alcohol consumption that doesn’t reach the level of disorder affects far more children and families than alcohol use disorders, according to Linda Richter of the Center on Addiction in New York City.

6. It’s essential to be coherent as a parent or caregiver and not to offer alcohol to children or ask them to buy it or serve it

Children are very perceptive. Their brain is wired to learn by observing and imitating the humans around them.

Children as young as four to eight years of age become increasingly knowledgeable about alcohol norms in specific situations, according to a 2019 study. This means very small children absorb the alcohol norm in their family and community and the learn in what kind of situation alcohol consumption is a “common” human behavior. This knowledge may put them at risk for early alcohol initiation and frequent alcohol use later in life. A 2021 study showed when parents give their children alcohol the kids have more favorable expectations about alcohol use.

Another 2021 study confirmed that parents giving their kids alcohol leads to higher alcohol harm as the kids grow up. The study found kids who were given alcohol to sip were more likely to have one full alcoholic beverage, get intoxicated or use alcohol heavily by high school, than those who did not have any alcohol.

7. Discuss alcohol marketing critically

Do you engage in conversations with your children about how the alcohol industry bombards them with advertisements and other marketing tactics – and why the alcohol industry does that?

Encourage your kids to think critically about these messages and how these alcohol industry tactics make them feel. Reflect together how alcohol ads reaching/ targeting children and youth are designed to make alcohol look attractive and socially desirable to kids – even as latest evidence clearly shows declining alcohol use among the world’s youth.

Challenges might come, but we can do it!

Even the best family practices can be challenged by alcogenic environments with a lack of alcohol policies to protect the people and society from alcohol harm and alcohol industry tactics to make it attractive. 

But as I wrote above, already small steps can be very meaningful and have a big positive impact. I’d like to share a few final thoughts to help families navigate these challenges:

  • Look beyond your own family: Encourage other adults to recognize when a pervasive alcohol norm exists and take steps to question it and replace it together.
  • Speak up: Report any violations of alcohol regulations in your area.
  • Support effective policy solutions: Support proven alcohol policy solutions that protect children and adolescents from alcohol harm, such as pro-health taxes. If you want to learn more about these policy solutions, click here

For further reading

How to Understand the Trend of Falling Alcohol Use Among the World’s Youth

When the authors present their findings about youth alcohol use trends to other researchers and the wider public, they often find that adults are surprised to hear that young people today consume less alcohol and stay alcohol-free longer.

There are persisting misconceptions and beliefs in outdated stereotypes of young people as irresponsible and feckless that thwart the discourse about and awareness of falling alcohol use among adolescents around the world. This article shares three reasons why adolescents are going increasingly alcohol-free. And the article discusses myths and realities about youth alcohol use and the alcohol-free trend.

Even “Regular” Parental Alcohol Intake Tied To Kids’ Mental Ill-health

The findings suggest that in some family settings, even “regular” levels of parental alcohol use might trigger children to develop anxiety and/or depression in adolescence and early adulthood.

This is significant, as the level of alcohol consumption discussed in this study rarely appears to be problematic,” said lead author Ingunn Olea Lund.

Alcohol consumption that doesn’t reach the level of disorder affects far more children and families than alcohol use disorders, according to Linda Richter, of the Center on Addiction in New York City.

We know that parenting practices, which have a very strong influence on a child’s well-being, are definitely affected by alcohol use and mental health problems and these effects can manifest in a number of ways,” Richter, who wasn’t involved in the study, told Reuters via mail.

They can be obvious, like abuse or neglect of the child, or more subtle like modeling unhealthy behaviors for the child or failing to identify and address early signs of risk for childhood anxiety or depression and addressing it accordingly.

Alcohol use and mental health problems in adults and children often go hand in hand, as people tend to ‘self-medicate’ their anxiety or depression with alcohol or other addictive substances, especially if they do not have adequate access to professional help due to limited financial resources or education.”

Relationship between Parental Attitudes and Children’s Alcohol Use

Less restrictive parental attitudes towards children’s alcohol use are linked with increases in children’s alcohol use onset, alcohol use frequency and intoxication. Children’s perception of less restrictive parental attitudes is associated with children’s alcohol use.