Young people often experiment with alcohol during adolescence, which is a
period of their life that is characterized by increasing
responsibility. Knowing how adolescents perceive responsibilities with
regard to their alcohol use could prevent their alcohol consumption and
help them to take responsibility for this aspect of their lives. This
study describes adolescents’ perceptions and experiences of their
responsibilities for alcohol use. We used a qualitative descriptive
method that focused on 87 adolescents aged 14–16 years, from two
schools. They took part in semi-structured interviews in 19 groups in
Finland in 2017. The data were analyzed using inductive content
analysis. The adolescents described alcohol as harmful, but tempting,
and said that they were developing a sense of responsibility for their
alcohol use. They were responsible for their own wellbeing, behaving
responsibly if they drank and intervening in peers’ alcohol use. They
talked about how their parents had unquestionable responsibilities to
care about whether adolescents drank alcohol. Their parents’
responsibilities related to the guidance they gave, how strict they were
and how they responded to adolescents using alcohol. Anonymous and
intense support from authorities encouraged adolescents to learn to take
responsibility. Identifying and focusing on their responsibilities
could help adolescents to develop into healthy individuals and increase
their awareness of the need to avoid alcohol. Parents may also need
support to meet their responsibilities.