Ch. 3: Alcohol and Social Contexts
In this module you learned about the ways that social and physical contexts relate to substance use behavior—initiation, use, misuse, and treatment/recovery behaviors. You are assigned two articles here to consider.
The role of social media (Twitter). This article looks at Twitter chatter and its potential impact on peer drinking—the mechanisms of influence involve social norms and social learning theory. The article is: Cavazos-Rehg, P.A., Krauss, M.J., Sowles, S.J., & Bierut, L.J. (2015). “Hey everyone, I’m drunk: An evaluation of drinking-related Twitter chatter. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 76(4), 635-643. This article addressed:
- the place of online social networks in our understanding alcohol use/misuse behavior
- the “pro alcohol” bias in Tweets
- alcohol marketing in the Twittersphere
- implications for addressing/preventing alcohol misuse
The role of drinking context on sexual aggression. This article makes a strong case for how drinking contexts (bars, parties, home) relate to drinking consumption and outcomes. Not only is how much and how fast a person drinks important (dose and BAC/BAL), the social aspects of alcohol use seem to matter, too. In other words, we cannot fully understand the consequences of drinking behavior without understanding the contexts in which it occurs. The article is: Testa, M., & Cleveland, M.J. (2017). Does alcohol contribute to college men’s sexual assault perpetration? Between- and within-person effects over five semesters. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 78(1), 5-13. This article addressed:
- evidence concerning heavy episodic drinking (HED) and sexual aggression
- the role of drinking context (parties and bars) in sexual aggression
- the role of personality characteristics in sexual aggression and drinking behavior
