Exploring British Punjabi-Sikh Men’s Views about Alcohol Consumption

Background: British Punjabi-Sikh men are known in their community to consume large quantities of alcohol (Kumar et al., 2018). Previous research suggests that this population is overrepresented for alcohol-related health problems yet there are several barriers to accessing alcohol support services (Galvani et al., 2013; Gleeson et al., 2019). However, there are few studies to date that explore British Punjabi-Sikh men’s perspectives about their relationship to alcohol consumption. The study aimed to provide a voice to British Punjabi-Sikh men by exploring their experiences of the role and management of alcohol consumption.
Methods: A qualitative methodology was employed, using semi-structured interviews, to investigate the personal accounts of seven British Punjabi-Sikh men’s experiences. Data from the interviews were subject to interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Results: The analysis revealed four superordinate themes: i. “We are a Drinking Culture”; ii. Community Judgements; iii. Coping with Distress; and iv. A Desire for Change.
Conclusion: Findings revealed that British Punjabi-Sikh men consume large quantities of alcohol to help fulfil a cultural identity that is heavily influenced by ideals of hegemonic masculinity. Alcohol is also used as a coping mechanism for distress, which might be exacerbated for this population as cultural expectations prevent problems from being spoken about. Management of alcohol consumption was deemed necessary if it caused harm, namely to health or employment, yet seeking support was considered shameful and mainstream alcohol support services were reported to be culturally inappropriate. The findings have several implications, including recommendations for adapting clinical practice and policies to accommodate the cultural needs of British Punjabi-Sikh men. Future research recommendations are suggested.