Alcohol consumption among young people in Aosta Valley, North Italy: a qualitative study ABSTRACT: The study explores some aspects of risky behavior in alcohol consumption in the AostaValley territory (North-western Italy) in a sample of youth aged 18 to 25 years. Alcohol is one of the most widely used psychoactive substances in the western world, with young people being the group most at risk to develop alcohol-related problems. The main aim is to study the influence of social norms and of the regional territory culture on juvenile alcohol consumption. Six focus groups were set up by selecting participants according to gender, occupational status (workers/students), area of residence (high/middle/low valley). By means of a qualitative analysis some categories of phenomenon description were identified. They were analyzed based on the variables utilized to recruit participants. Main results show that alcohol consumption is a cultural practice well rooted in the Aosta Valley territory and ruled by implicit norms that are handed down from generation to generation. Socialization and fun are its main functions. Females drink smaller amounts than males and especially when they are with the latter. Ways of consumption are different in the areas investigated, while no differences have been found between workers and students.

Maria Grazia Monaci, Mara Gelmini, Luca Scacchi, in "PSICOLOGIA DELLA SALUTE" 3/2007, pp. 87-109, DOI: