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The first authoritative guide to how the world drinks, this reference details alcohol use in different countries and cultures. Variation is striking, with alcohol sometimes a food, a sacrament, a symbol, a tool, a tranquilizer, a medicine, a love potion, or an object of scorn--often with very different meanings and uses in a single country. This volume reveals multicultural and ethnic beliefs, practices, and attitudes about drinking around the world. An extensive introduction discusses the close link between alcohol and culture and provides a foundation for the rest of the book. Each of the following chapters is written by an expert contributor and discusses alcohol and culture in a particular country. Chapters discuss historical trends, drinking among ethnic and religious minorities, national policies, and social outcomes. Countries range from industrial nations known for their alcohol research, to developing nations and to places famous for drinking. A concluding chapter highlights important similarities and differences.
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International Handbook on Alcohol and Culture This page intentionally left blank International Handbook on Alcohol and Culture EDITED BY DWIGHT B. HEATH GREENWOOD PRESS Westport, Connecticut • London Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data International handbook on alcohol and culture / edited by Dwight B. Heath. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-313-25234-3 (alk. paper) 1. Drinking of alcoholic beverages—Cross-cultural studies. 2. Drinking customs—Cross-cultural studies. 3. Alcoholism—Crosscultural studies. I. Heath, Dwight B. HV5035.I57 1995 394.13—dc20 95-7184 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright © 1995 by Dwight B. Heath All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 95-7184 ISBN: 0-313-25234-3 First published in 1995 Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Copyright Acknowledgments The editor and the publisher gratefully acknowledge permission to use the following: Excerpts from Preventing Alcohol Abuse: Alcohol, Culture, and Control by David J. Hanson. 1995. Praeger Publishers: Westport, CT. Used with permission of Praeger Publishers, an imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., Westport, CT. To A New Beginning This page intentionally left blank Contents Tables xxi Preface and Acknowledgments 1 An Introduction to Alcohol and Culture in International Perspective xxiii 1 Dwight B. Heath 2 Why Alcohol Matters 1 Why Culture Matters 2 The Purpose of This Book 3 Scope of the Book 3 Format and Use of the Book 4 References 6 Australia 7 Wayne Hall and Ernest Hunter History of Drinking in Australia Reasons for the Long Waves in Alcohol Consumption 7 8 Contemporary Consumption Patterns 10 Alcohol-Related Problems 12 viii 3 Contents Alcohol Control Measures 12 Aboriginal Drinking 13 History 13 Contemporary Alcohol Use 14 Summary 18 References 18 Canada 20 Yuet W. Cheung and Patricia G. Erickson Contemporary Drinking Patterns 21