Young people's drinking has declined markedly in Australia over the past 15 years, and this may be linked to changing norms and values around health. We take the view that healthism—a discourse that privileges good health and renders people personally responsible for managing health—has become pervasive, creating new pressures influencing young people's alcohol practices. Through interviews with 50 young light drinkers and abstainers, we explored these notions of health and alcohol. Although health was not the only reason that participants abstained or drank lightly, many avoided drinking to minimise health risks and to pursue healthy lifestyles. Their understanding of health came from multiple sources such as the media, schools, parents—and often reinforced public health messages, and healthist discourse. This discourse influenced how participants perceived health norms, engaged with health in everyday life and managed their alcohol consumption. Because the need to be healthy incorporated bodily health, mental health and social wellbeing, it also created tensions around how young people could drink while maintaining their health. This highlights the importance of health as a key consideration in the alcohol practices of light drinking and abstaining young Australians, which could help explain broader declines in youth drinking.

中文翻译：

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“没有人将饮酒与身体健康联系起来”：健康和福祉是管理年轻人饮酒的必要条件

在过去的 15 年中，澳大利亚年轻人的饮酒量显着下降，这可能与围绕健康的规范和价值观不断变化有关。我们认为健康主义——一种强调身体健康并使人们对管理健康负有个人责任的话语——已经变得普遍，产生了影响年轻人饮酒习惯的新压力。通过对 50 名年轻的轻度饮酒者和戒酒者的采访，我们探讨了这些健康和酒精的概念。虽然健康不是参与者戒酒或少量饮酒的唯一原因，但许多人避免饮酒以尽量减少健康风险并追求健康的生活方式。他们对健康的理解来自多种来源，例如媒体、学校、家长——并且经常强化公共卫生信息和健康主义话语。这种话语影响了参与者如何看待健康规范、在日常生活中参与健康以及管理他们的饮酒量。由于对健康的需求包括身体健康、心理健康和社会福祉，这也造成了年轻人如何在保持健康的同时饮酒的紧张局势。这突显了健康作为澳大利亚年轻人少喝酒和戒酒的关键考虑因素的重要性，这可能有助于解释青年饮酒的广泛下降。