Young people’s perspectives and experiences with alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks through a practice lens

Background Against the backdrop of large and sustained declines in young people’s alcohol consumption, the alcohol-free and low-alcohol (no/lo) drinks market has expanded rapidly in high-income countries over recent years. There is limited evidence available on how young people have responded to this development. A small number of studies have examined young people’s overall consumption as well as the potential for substitution and gateway effects. However, how and why young people consume or reject no/lo drinks, and the specific practices in which consumption might take place, remain under-explored. Drawing on social practice theory, this paper investigates young people’s perspectives on no/lo drinks, exploring whether and how they are including and/or embedding them in their drinking and wider social practices. Methods Cross-sectional group interviews using visual and participatory methods were conducted with young people aged 12-17 (n=34) residing in Greater Manchester in the North of England. Interview transcripts were analysed using framework techniques. Results Participants perceived no/lo drinks as unappealing adult beverages, except for sweetened products like fruit-flavoured alcohol-free ciders. Some participants who drank alcohol saw no/lo drinks as unsuitable for practices where the intoxicating properties of alcohol were valued, such as parties with friends and getting ready for a night out. However, most participants viewed sweetened no/lo drinks as appealing alternatives to soft or alcoholic drinks in practices where those properties were not valued, like family celebrations. Conclusions No/lo drinks may be unlikely to become part of practices where social bonding via intoxication is a desired outcome, limiting their potential role as substitutes for alcohol among adolescents who drink alcohol in such contexts. Their inclusion in family practices suggests that some adult family members view no/lo drinks as interchangeable with soft drinks.