Place attachment and home drinking: a qualitative study and research agenda

Home drinking has become more popular and yet is an under-researched area. Using place attachment theory, this study aims to explore drinking behaviours within the home, any adaptations made to the home related to drinking practices and the relationship between alcohol consumption with people’s feelings of attachment and belongingness to their home. Interviews were conducted with 15 UK adults who exhibited a range of drinking habits. Emerging themes included opening the home as an entertainment and social space, placemaking activities such as making homemade bars or shrines related to drinking and creating alcohol-related rituals within the home. Evolving home drinking practices have important implications for policymakers, social marketers and retailers who must react to this societal shift and associated behavioural changes.