Drunk and (dis) orderly: The role of alcohol in supporting liminality

This paper examines the use of alcohol consumption to provide support for students during transitions at a key liminal stage. We explore some of the positive experiences and rituals surrounding alcohol consumption via student-led focus groups. Our findings suggest that this extended period of liminality is often experienced positively, lending students 'permission' to behave in ways they might otherwise consider unacceptable. Liminality helps us to understand this context of students 'betwixt and between' different important life stages, whereby alcohol assumes an important facilitating role enabling them to play with their identity.