Northampton Electronic Collection of Theses and Research

Pub and community: the views of Birmingham untreated heavy drinkers

Orford, J., Rolfe, A., Dalton, S., Painter, C. and Webb, H. (2008) Pub and community: the views of Birmingham untreated heavy drinkers. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology. 19(1), pp. 68-82. 1099-9284.

Item Type: Article
Abstract: This paper reports the results of a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with 79 members of the Birmingham Untreated Heavy Drinkers Cohort. The cohort was recruited in 1997 when all participants were drinking 50 or more standard units of alcohol (men) or 35 or more units (women) most weeks. Present interviews were carried out as part of the fourth wave of interviews, held in 2003. The topic was the participants' places of drinking in the community and the functions those places served. The present analysis focused on the relationship between pubs and community. The strongest theme to emerge was that the pub provided for many participants a real sense of community in itself. It did so by enabling participants to meet with like-minded others, in a setting distinct from home or work, where conversing and confiding could take place in a relaxed atmosphere, with a range of other activities and forms of social support available to many. At the same time, participants were discriminating about which pubs they used, and when, and with whom they chose to interact. There was less consensus about whether the pub served a wider function by contributing to a positive sense of community in the local neighbourhood. It is suggested that English pubs, at least in a large conurbation such as the West Midlands, are very varied, sometimes continuing to serve as the local for a community, sometimes being part of a variety of drinking places which between them provide people with a diversity of social niches to meet their increasingly diverse choices and preferences, and sometimes reflecting and even contributing to local community disorganisation
Uncontrolled Keywords: heavy drinkers; pubs; community; sense of community
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology > HV5001 Alcoholism. Intemperance. Temperance reform
H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races > HT101 Urban groups. The city. Urban sociology > HT281 Recreation. Amusements
Creators: Orford, J, Rolfe, Alison, Dalton, S, Painter, C and Webb, H
Publisher: Wiley
Faculties, Divisions and Institutes: University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Faculty of Health & Society > Psychology
Faculties > Faculty of Health & Society > Psychology
Date: 19 November 2008
Date Type: Publication
Page Range: pp. 68-82
Journal or Publication Title: Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology
Volume: 19
Number: 1
Language: English
ISSN: 1099-9284
Status: Published / Disseminated
URI: http://nectar.northampton.ac.uk/id/eprint/1804

Actions (login required)

Edit Item Edit Item