Christoffer Tigerstedt

First drink: What does it mean? The alcohol socialization process in different drinking cultures

Aims: The aim of this qualitative research is to show how the alcohol socialization process – i.e. the ways children and young people get acquainted with alcohol – can generate very diverse experiences and meanings in different cultural contexts. Method: A total of 16 focus groups were conducted in Italy and Finland, divided by age (4 groups), gender and socio-cultural level. A total of 190 participants took part in the study. Findings: The findings support the hypothesis that the alcohol socialization process takes place in very different ways and assumes diverse meaning in the two countries involved in the study. In Italy the relationship with alcohol takes place as part of a gradual process and participants’ first memories of drinking alcohol are connected to positive values. In Finland, on the other hand, often the first experiences of drinking overlap with the first experiences of intoxication and alcohol images reflect an ambiguous relation with this substance, closely related to its intoxicating effects. Conclusions: Results show that the alcohol socialization process can take very different forms and meanings according to a specific drinking cultures. Thus, further comparative research should take into more consideration the implication of these substantial differences.

Dual-track drug policy: Normalization of the drug problem in Finland

This paper examines the reorganization of Finnish drug policy in the light of recent major changes. The analysis is inspired by writings of criminologist David Garland on crime control and governmental control strategies (Garland, ), and by the British drug debate on the normalization of drug use (Parker, ; Parker et al., ; Shiner  & Newburn, ; South, 1999). Garland distinguishes between adaptive and non-adaptive social responses to crime. Adaptive responses generally lower the objectives of public policy because the goals seem unrealistic. If you cannot get the best, you can always strive for the good. Non-adaptive or repressive responses are needed to justify the image of the State as an efficient and competent actor. The conclusion of the paper is that, after a somewhat stormy debate in Finland around the turn of the century, the adaptive and non-adaptive responses have peacefully aligned with each other. This dual-track model has become the new paradigm in Finnish drug policy: Both harm reduction and criminal control approaches are now well established and expansive. Related trends are recognized also in other countries.

Are Finnish drinking habits changing? In search of a cultural approach

Finnish drinking habits have undergone major changes over the past few decades. However, most Finnish studies of drinking habits conclude by stating that drinking is still traditional, national, and uniform in nature. These conclusions draw on the notion of a cultural lag and on stereotypical dichotomies between the traditional and the modern, or between the Finnish and European drinking habits. The article shows that in studies of drinking habits, the concept of habits has not been problematized. In many ways, only the most patterned behavior is dealt with, being mostly that of ‘intoxication-oriented drinking’. Other aspects tend to be overshadowed. Moreover, little attention has been paid to the meanings that actors give to their drinking as the studies of drinking habits have mainly used survey data. In order to allow a more sensitive analysis, the article elaborates on a cultural model of drinking habits, and then applies the model to Finnish statistical and qualitative studies of drinking habits from the past 30–40 years. The analysis reveals, first, that new time-series analyses should be conducted on the epidemiological data in order to both test the uniformity of drinking habits and to explore their diversity. Second, efforts should be made to combine the contradictory findings of epidemiological and qualitative research. Third, studies of drinking habits should devote more attention to the analysis of the situational variation of drinking.

Femininities of drinking among Finnish and Swedish women of different ages

This article discusses femininities of drinking in Finland and in Sweden. It compares how Finnish and Swedish women define accepted and desired drinking-related femininity. It also asks how femininity related to drinking is constructed and to what traits it is associated with. According to the general assumption increased intoxication oriented drinking among women means that drinking habits and behavior between women and men have become more similar. We rather suggest that women have not only adopted intoxication oriented drinking but they connect it to their feminine identity by shaping it according to their own needs and actions. The analysis is made by using focus group interviews from Finland and Sweden from four different age groups (20 years, 25–30 years, 35–40 years and 50–60 years) and from two educational levels. The data has been analyzed by examining how Finnish and Swedish women construct femininities of drinking while interpreting the pictures of drinking situations. The analysis shows that there is variety of femininities of drinking. Age seems to be an important factor in the construction of femininities; younger and older Finnish and Swedish women relate different traits to drinking-related femininity. It seems that the composition of drinking related gender identity has broadened from traditional hegemonic feminine values to versatility. This relates to the expansion of drinking related actions and the strengthening of drinking related agency among women. Based on these findings, younger generations seem to have a wider variety of drinking related repertoires and ways to interpret femininity than older generations.

From political controversy to a technical problem? Fifteen years of opioid substitution treatment in Finland

BACKGROUND The aim of the article is to analyze changes in opioid substitution treatments (OST) in Finland. OST spread in Finland in the late 1990s and early 2000s (Phase 1). Since then, OST has become an integrated part of Finnish drug policy and is provided in various substance abuse treatment units as well as in municipal health centers (Phase 2). METHODS The paper analyses the policy around the implementation of opioid substitution treatment in Finland, focusing on identifying the key factors and the relations between them that have contributed to the implementation of OST in Finland. RESULTS OST has become accepted in Finland during the past ten years as a crucial element of a harm reduction strategy. Present incentives behind this development are not as clearly related to drug-specific policies as in the late 1990s; rather, they stem from both the restructuring of health care services (e.g. cost-effectiveness) and the strengthening of the medical or technico-administrative approach to the development of OST. CONCLUSION Since the early 2000s, the development of substitution treatment in Finland has not taken place under explicit drug-political guidance, but largely as a result of many differing intended and unintended effects. One of the unintended effects is the fact that buprenorphine has replaced heroin as the most commonly misused opioid in Finland.

A New Alcohol Environment: Trends in alcohol consumption, harms and policy: Finland 1990–2010

■ AIMS This article reports developments in the Finnish alcohol field from 1990 to 2010, focusing on changes and trends in alcohol consumption, drinking habits and alcohol-related harm. We pay special attention to changes in alcohol availability and alcohol policy and look at the factors behind changes in alcohol policies. The article will also discuss the current status and future prospects of alcohol policy and alcohol control as well as differences between Finland and the situation in the neighbouring countries with a similar alcohol monopoly. ■ METHODS Routinely collected statistical data on alcohol consumption and related harm as well as repeated cross-sectional representative population surveys will be reviewed, as will changes in alcohol policy and availability. ■ RESULTS Apart from the economic recession in the early 1990s, alcohol consumption and related harm have increased in Finland. Changes in alcohol consumption are mostly explained by changes in consumer incomes and alcohol policy measures. However, EU membership has restricted tightened alcohol control and given more room for private alcohol industry to affect alcohol policy. ■ CONCLUSIONS While increased alcohol-related harm has stopped the Finns from moving toward a more liberal alcohol policy, EU membership and private alcohol interests have made it considerably more difficult to combat alcohol-related harm with alcohol control measures.

Testing new models in Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish alcohol policies

In the last ten years major changes have taken place in Nordic alcohol policy. Until now, however, research has said little about the important policy choices that have been made in the new situation. In this text we describe strategic prioritisations and organisational solutions in the alcohol policy field in Finland, Norway and Sweden. First, we take a look at Finland and Sweden, two EU countries acting quite differently at the current time. We examine the new policy strategies which the countries have decided to invest in at a moment when measures affecting prices on alcohol and availability have become significantly weaker. Next we look at organisational solutions that have been implemented in order to handle the new situation. Adding Norway, a non-EU country, to this analysis allows us to comment on whether Finlands and Swedens membership in the EU has brought about more extensive changes than in Norway. As an appetizer, we offer a perspective on how the displacement of the alcohol field is reflected in everyday terminology in each country.

Harm Experienced from the Heavy Drinking of Family and Friends in the General Population: A Comparative Study of Six Northern European Countries.

Background Epidemiological research on alcohol-related harm has long given priority to studies on harm to the drinker. A limitation with this perspective is that it neglects the harm drinking causes to people around the drinker, and thus, it fails to give a full picture of alcohol-related harm in society. Aim The aim was to compare the prevalence and correlates of experiencing harm from the heavy drinking by family and friends across the Nordic countries and Scotland and to discuss whether potential differences match levels of drinking, prevalence of binge drinking, and alcohol-related mortality. Data and Method Data from recent national general population surveys with similar questions on experiences of harms from the drinking of family and friends were collected from Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Scotland. Results National estimates of the overall population prevalence of harm from the drinking of family and friends ranged from 14% to 28% across these countries, with the highest prevalence in Finland, Iceland, and Norway and lower estimates for Denmark, Sweden, and Scotland. Across all countries, the prevalence of harm from heavy drinking by family and friends was significantly higher among women and young respondents. Conclusion This study revealed large differences in the prevalence of harm across the study countries, as well as by gender and age, but the differences do not match the variation in population drinking and other indicators of harm. The implications of the findings for future research are discussed.

Social research on alcohol and drugs at STAKES

This presentation describes the two last decades of Finnish social alcohol and drug research based on work done by the Alcohol and Drug Research Group and The Finnish Foundation for Alcohol Studies. The Group consists of 13 permanent researchers and three research secretaries. The main activity of the Foundation is to award grants for post-gradual students. In recent years alcohol studies have been heavily influenced by Finlands entry into the EU. Simultaneously, the position of drug research has been considerably strengthened.

Trusting and misleading. Parents’ and children’s communication and negotiation about alcohol as described by teenagers

Abstract Background: Typically, research on parents’ and children’s interactions around alcohol issues focuses on how parenting styles and parents’ examples affect teenager’s drinking habits. In this paper, we approach the theme from the youngsters’ perspective. We ask how teenagers describe the interaction on alcohol-related issues with their parents and how they would like their parents to act during these interactions. Data and methods: The article applies the concept of trust, which is seen as a feature connecting all kinds of communities, and especially families. We pay attention to whether alcohol issues challenge trustful relations and give rise to contradictions and complications in the interactions between parents and children. Results: The analysis shows the ways how trust is maintained and challenged in teenagers? accounts of communication regarding alcohol with their parents. It also shows that although trust is tested in several ways, it is essential for teenagers. Even though teenagers tell how they can mislead their parents by using strategies that challenge trust, they nevertheless highlight the importance of trusting ties with parents. Teenagers do not exclude their parents from alcohol-related discussion but expect rules, communication and authority from them. Our data suggest that teenagers also want to protect their parents from disappointments caused by their own actions. Conclusions: A trusting parent–child relationship, based on dialog rather than opposition, seems to play a significant role in guiding teenagers’ alcohol-related attitudes and practices.