The dominant social culture for students in some parts of the world is one where excessive alcohol consumption is the accepted norm and practice. Within this context, non-participation in the prevailing alcohol culture could prevent full engagement with student social life (Nairn et al., 2006), providing a source of tension for those choosing not to consume or to consume comparatively little alcohol. This research focuses on students who adopt what Nairn et al. (2006) term ‘alternative subject positions’, who become positioned as anti-consumers because of their opposition to the norms that predominate. The challenge for these consumers involves negotiating the tensions implicit in the assumption of a self-identification as an anti-consumer of alcohol whilst maintaining an acceptable social identity, as part of the broader student culture. This paper draws on coping theory to developing understanding of this form of anti-consumption and to develop policy recommendations to address this issue.