Don't Think, Just Drink!': An Ethnographic Study into why Young People Engage with Alcohol-Fuelled Leisure Markets of the Night-Time Economy

Authors

Sam Barnes

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Consumption and consumerism are now accepted as being fundamental contexts for the construction of youth lifestyle in post-modern society. This research is a critical exploration of why young people consume alcohol in a manner that can go beyond 'pleasure', to the painful realms of jouissance. This research draws on various disciplines utilising a deviant leisure perspective in order to explore the broader harms that lie beneath the surface of commodified leisure, which have become culturally acceptable and normalised in today's society. Through the use of ethnographic research, utilising observations and unstructured interviews, this project critically explores the significance of alcohol-fuelled leisure markets for youthful consumers aged 18 to 25 of the NTE in the South-West of England. Analysis of the data opens up a focus into the subjective and socially corrosive harms that are embedded in today's society as a result of the commodification of leisure. The study concludes that the pursuit of intoxication and commitment to the night-time economy is an endeavour that is reflective of the harms and anxieties of contemporary times.

Publication Date

2017-01-01

Publication Title

The Plymouth Law & Criminal Justice Review

Volume

9

Issue

1

First Page

33

Last Page

54

ISSN

2054-149X

Deposit Date

April 2017

Embargo Period

2024-11-04

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Barnes, Sam (2017) "Don't Think, Just Drink!': An Ethnographic Study into why Young People Engage with Alcohol-Fuelled Leisure Markets of the Night-Time Economy," The Plymouth Law and Criminal Justice Review: Vol. 9, Article 7.
Available at: https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/plcjr/vol9/iss1/7