Language, Individual & Society, Volume 16, 2022

Rezumat: The aim of the study was thus to explore the perceptions and experiences of students related to their alcohol use at emerging tertiary institutions in South Africa. A qualitative approach utilising an exploratory phenomenological design was utilised. The research used a purposive sample of 10 students who attended a counselling clinic, because of their alcohol use. This consisted of 6 males and 4 females between the ages of 18 and 22 years. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Three themes arose naturally out of the data namely: 1) I don’t drink too much; 2) Experiences of drinking alcohol and 3) People should ‘mind their own business’. Findings included that both male and female students in the sample often drank alcohol to excess but seemed unaware of the negative implications of doing so in terms of both their academic and social lives. Moreover, some students had sexual encounters when under the influence and did not use protection making them vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Additionally, some of the sample had negative family interactions. It seemed that students generally drank to boost their self-esteem. Recommendations included ongoing programmes at the university to inform students about the effects of alcohol on their health and wellbeing.