Life transitions into adulthood and the drinking trajectory

Abstract

The transition from adolescence to early adulthood is marked by a number of critical events on the road to independence and self-sufficiency. These bring with them new roles and responsibilities, but are also defined by societal expectations around normative and appropriate behaviors. Included among them are drinking patterns that are assumed to be associated with particular events and stages of life. However, changing cultural views on age- and gender-appropriate behaviors and the nature of life transitions themselves are continually evolving. In their chapter, Martinic and Bigirimana examine the prevailing assumptions about these relationships, the boundaries between life transitions and expected drinking patterns, and propose that it may be timely to revisit both what is known and what is assumed about both.