An observational study of young adults' drinking groups--II. Drink purchasing procedures, group pressures and alcohol consumption by companions as predictors of alcohol consumption.

Quantitative observations were made of 200 groups in bars catering for young adults. Most drinkers were members of groups in which round-buying procedures were used. Purchasing procedures were good predictors of alcohol consumption among males, accounting for 15% of the variance in consumption. Males who purchased rounds tended to consume more alcohol than did males who did not purchase drinks for others. Drinkers with companions who consumed large amounts of alcohol tended to consume more alcohol and tended to have higher drinking rates. Considered alone, the average amount consumed by companions accounted for 62% and 48% the variance in alcohol consumption by males and females respectively. Qualitative observations and interviews with 200 patrons are also described. Findings from the interviews indicate that there were considerable pressures on males and females to conform to the 'institution' and to the 'rules' of round-buying. However, the quantitative observations showed that the majority of females did not openly purchase drinks. This suggests that observational procedures can provide useful checks on findings obtained from questioning procedures.