Managing Abstinence in a Culture of Use: A Normative Rhetorical Analysis of Substance-Free College Students

Substance use remains deeply embedded in the normative fabric of U.S. college life, positioning abstinence as socially deviant. Although prior research has examined non-drinking and recovery experiences, it is unknown how students who abstain from all substances, including alcohol, cannabis, and nicotine, navigate everyday college life. Guided by Normative Rhetorical Theory (NRT), this qualitative study explores the communicative dilemmas and strategies of 30 substance-free students. Findings reveal that abstinence is not a passive health choice but an ongoing relational accomplishment. Participants described three recurring dilemmas: balancing inclusion with nonparticipation, avoiding judgment while sometimes judging others, and negotiating authenticity within substance-centered norms. In response, students relied on interrelated communication strategies (e.g., selective disclosure, audience tailoring, minimal explanations), interpretive lenses (e.g., reframing judgment as incompatibility, redefining social norms), and environmental resources (e.g., curating networks, avoiding high-risk spaces, using material cues) to maintain abstinence while preserving relationships. Extending NRT beyond acute health contexts, this study conceptualizes abstinence as a dynamic practice embedded in routine social interactions and as sustained through continual meaning-making and management.