Aims: To study the characteristics, contexts and implications of drinking stories among young drinkers. Methods: Ethnographic fieldwork was conducted among Danish youth at a beach resort in Bulgaria. The fieldwork included three months of participant observation and 45 semi-structured interviews with a total of 104 tourists and 11 guides. The participants in the study were aged between 16 and 26 y

Prevention is one of four core research areas at the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research at Aarhus University in Denmark. This paper provides an overview of the prevention research which has been carried out at the Centre since its establishment in the beginning of the 1990s. Based on a review of all past and ongoing preventive research projects at the Centre, the paper suggests this research has

There is evidence that bartenders play a key role in respect of the health and safety of patrons in nightlife environments. However, little is known of how bartenders themselves are affected by the environments in which they work, especially with regard to their exposure to violence, pressure to drink and stress. We used a cross-sectional survey to assess the experiences of bartenders (n = 424) wo

There is growing evidence that young tourists at nightlife resorts have a propensity for risk-taking. Based on ethnographic fieldwork at an international nightlife resort in Bulgaria, this article examines how guides help tourists lower their inhibitions and reach states of collective effervescence. Focus is on young guides and tourists from Denmark. The article argues that the guides use four bas

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess how participation in party activities with guides affects alcohol consumption among young tourists at an international nightlife resort. Methods: Prospective survey of 112 Danish tourists in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria, who were asked about their drinking and activities with guides on three separate nights out. Results: Participation in party activities wit

BACKGROUND Heavy drinking and drug use is increasingly recognised as a problem in relation to holidays at nightlife resorts. However, studies conducted on the subject to date have relied on retrospective accounts of drinking, and little is known about the course of drinking, consequences and experiences during such holidays. METHODS A prospective study was carried out in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria, of

Nanoindentation is a useful experimental method to characterize the micromechanical properties of materials. In this study molecular dynamics and peridynamics are used to simulate nanoindentation, with a spherical indenter targeting a thin single crystal Cu film, resting on an infinitely stiff substrate. The objective is to compare the results obtained from molecular dynamic simulations to those oNanoindentation is a useful experimental method to characterize the micromechanical properties of materials. In this study molecular dynamics and peridynamics are used to simulate nanoindentation, with a spherical indenter targeting a thin single crystal Cu film, resting on an infinitely stiff substrate. The objective is to compare the results obtained from molecular dynamic simulations to those o

Drawing on data generated through quantitative and qualitative methods, this article explores the prevalence and experiences of substance use, casual sex, commercial sex, and health problems among young Danish tourists at an international nightlife resort in Bulgaria. The article argues that the risks the tourists take should not be interpreted as a symptom of nihilism, pathology, or escapist incl

Purpose: This article aims to determine the prevalence of substance use among young festival-goers and the associations between preferences for different types of music and recent use of different types of licit and illicit drugs. Design/methodology/approach: The article is based on a cross-sectional survey of 1,787 young adults attending a music festival in Denmark. Associations between preferenc

People traveling abroad tend to increase their use of alcohol and other drugs. In the present study we describe organized party activities in connection with young tourists’ drinking, and the differences between young people traveling with and without organized party activities.

Purpose – This article aims to offer an ethnographic account of substances and sex and how they are interrelated in the context of one holiday destination popular among British youth. Current research on British youth abroad and their use of substances is based almost exclusively on survey methods. Similarly, the same research works do not explore, in sufficient detail, sexual relations outside of

Little is known about young adults' use of strip clubs and prostitution during their holidays abroad. This study examined this issue with a sample of 1125 Danish tourists between the ages of 16 and 34, and sought data about the frequency with which they paid for sex and attended strip clubs while they were on holiday. The tourists were surveyed at a Bulgarian airport before their return trip home.

Aim: In western countries, the most prevalent type of illicit substance-use dependence is cannabis dependence. This study aimed at estimating the prevalence of cannabis dependence among music festival visitors. Methods: Based on a survey of 380 music festival guests, we estimated the prevalence of cannabis dependence, as defined by a score of 3 or more on the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS), as

Background: Music festivals are known to attract a high proportion of drug users. Methods: Using a survey of 1,772 visitors at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark, we assessed substance use at the festival, the incidence of use of substances among never-users and the incidence of use among lifetime users who had not used a substance in the past 12 months. Results: New onset of tobacco use was reporte

Aims To investigate predictors of hangover during a week of heavy drinking in young adults. Design Observational prospective study. Methods A total of 112 young Danish tourists were interviewed on three occasions during their holiday. They completed the Acute Hangover Scale and answered questions about their alcohol consumption and rest duration. The incidence of hangover was analysed as the propo

Drinking stories are immensely popular among contemporary Danish youth. The stories are shared with much enthusiasm in school, at parties, over the telephone and via the Internet. But why are the young so compelled by these seemingly vulgar stories? Applying the theories of, most importantly, Bakhtin (1968), Ricoeur (1991), and Jackson (2002), this paper examines a sample of drinking stories that

Objectives: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare disease carrying a risk of death and chronic heart failure.It is unknown if women with PPCM have a family history of heart failure. We investigated the prevalence of heart failure and hypertension in first-degree relatives to women with PPCM. Methods: A cohort of 61 women with PPCM was identified through the nationwide Danish registers from 20

Background: Vacations at international nightlife resorts represent an important but also risky element in the lives of youth in many countries. There is an urgent need for evaluating the role played by bars and nightclubs in producing and reducing risks; this task is important, especially at upcoming nightlife resorts with limited experience in managing young partygoers from other countries. Metho

Little is known about predictors of hangover symptoms. The subjective experience of the night out may influence the experience of hangover symptoms. We conducted a survey of 325 young men and women at a vacation resort during the daytime, administering subjects the Acute Hangover Scale (AHS) and asking questions about drinking and behaviors the night before. Half of the subjects reported feeling h