ABSTRACT
In this chapter we draw on empirical data to analyse how risk-taking practices for many of our research participants are linked to, and thereby carry meanings as, youth cultural practices; practices young people engage in as part of their everyday life as young Danes. We identified two specific youth cultural practices, namely party and friendship practices, which were central for our participants’ engagement in risk-taking practices, especially alcohol and cannabis use. While both alcohol and cannabis use are regarded as normalised substances, this does not mean that there are no boundaries for how to engage in these practices. We analyse these boundaries and how they guide practices. Young people participate in youth cultural practices in different ways, depending on both their everyday life situation and the specific cultural meanings prescribing how certain practices should be performed, but despite these differences, the common denominator is a focus on ‘having fun’.
