Binge-drinking in Britain as a social and cultural phenomenon: the development of a grounded theoretical model.

Techniques and procedures of Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory were used to develop a conditional matrix on binge-drinking in Britain, reflecting data of 32 participants, aged between 22 and 58. The core category was 'binge-drinking as a social and cultural phenomenon'. Results show the value of binge-drinking as an enjoyable way of socializing and counter-balancing the demands of daily hassles and routines. Intervening and contextual factors indicate fluctuations in binge-drinking behaviour and the social and cultural constraints that may operate, such as 'no drink-driving', 'not when the next day is a work day' and 'not on one's own'.