Reflexive habitus and the new obligation of choice: understanding young people’s light drinking and alcohol abstinence

This article examines how young people construct drinking and non-drinking as a choice by drawing on the concept of reflexive habitus – how individuals in contemporary society habitually negotiate choices around consumption, lifestyle and identity. We explore accounts of non-drinking choices through semi-structured interviews with 50 young people aged 16–19 from Melbourne, Australia, who either abstained from alcohol or drank minimally....