University drinking culture and the emotional and spatial labour of sober students in British higher education: ‘clocking In – clocking out’

While drinking remains a dominant feature of university campuses, an increasing number of young people are choosing to opt out of alcohol consumption. Despite this, research on sober students’ experiences remains limited. Integrating perspectives from Geography, Sociology and the Built Environment, this article explores how sober students experience British Higher Education Institutions, and how spaces relating to the drinking culture impact inclusion and well-being. Drawing from three focus groups with eleven sober or sober-curious students at a British university, this paper reveals the emotional and practical labour required to navigate environments dominated by alcohol. Participants described performative strategies and adopting alternative identities to minimise exclusion. While some found these strategies empowering, many experience them as marginalising and emotionally taxing. Extending concepts of emotional labour (Hochschild 1983) and impression management (Goffman 1959), this article introduces the concept ‘Clocking In – Clocking Out’, revealing how the drinking culture, reinforced by the commodification of student life perpetuates social and spatial inequalities. The findings contribute to youth geographies by demonstrating how campus spaces and dominant social norms shape everyday geographies, identity and inclusion during a key life transition. Universities can use insights to reflect on how alcohol-dominated spaces produce uneven access to university life.