Alcohol Studies

Recent research suggests that romantic love may be literally addictive. Although the exact nature of the relationship between love and addiction has been described in inconsistent terms throughout the literature, we offer a framework that distinguishes between a narrow view and a broad view of love addiction. The narrow view counts only the most extreme, harmful forms of love or love-related behaviors as being potentially addictive in nature. The broad view, by contrast, counts even basic social attachment as being on a spectrum of addictive motivations, underwritten by similar neurochemical processes as more conventional addictions. We argue that on either understanding of love-as-addiction, treatment decisions should hinge on considerations of harm and well-being rather than on definitions of disease. Implications for the ethical use of anti-love biotechnology are considered.

This paper reviews, in the light of recent archaeological discoveries made since the early 2000s, the notion of Gallic symposion and the nature of commensal practices in communities from the Late Iron Age. It leads to a halftone statement, indicating different relations of certain social categories with regard to imported wine and it reveals the complexity of a process of acculturation too often reduced to economic or colonial patterns. The detailed analysis of this process within a precise site, the oppidum of Corent, underlines the usefulness of planned archaeological excavations as an experimental field.

Cet article réexamine, à la lumière des découvertes archéologiques récentes réalisées depuis le début des années 2000, la notion de symposion gaulois et la nature des pratiques de commensalité en vigueur dans les sociétés de la fin de l’âge du Fer. Il débouche sur un constat en demi-teintes qui témoigne d’un rapport différencié de certaines catégories sociales à l’égard du vin importé et révèle la complexité d’un processus d’acculturation trop souvent réduit à des schémas économistes ou colonialistes. L’analyse fine de ce processus à l’échelle d’un site, l’oppidum de Corent, souligne toute l’utilité des fouilles archéologiques programmées en tant que terrain expérimental.

Desde la época colonial el consumo de chicha fue censurado por las autoridades civiles y eclesiásticas. Los motivos explícitos de tal conjura fueron varios: la alteración del orden ciudadano, pues las chicherías ofrecían cobijo a indios o mestizos prófugos de los guardas fiscales, al tiempo que en sus alrededores se gestaban riñas o peleas; la  contravención de la moral, porque eran sitios de “general licencia” y amancebamiento; la notoriedad de su presencia —ollas de barro y gente consumiendo chicha en la calle— que obstruía el paso de los transeúntes y se consideraba un problema de ornato; además, eran juzgadas como espacios para la conspiración política, pues en la época anterior a la Independencia allí se discutieron proyectos —reales o imaginados— opuestos al orden colonial . Estos argumentos contra la chicha permanecieron constantes en la época republicana hasta la segunda mitad del siglo XX, pero como veremos, el saber científico moderno llegó a complementarlos y estructurarlos en una explicación socio-biológica; entonces los efectos de la chicha serían estudiados en laboratorios y hospitales, y los enchichados se convertirían en objetos privilegiados de experimentación.

Two studies were conducted to assess variables related to the social determinants of alcohol consumption. In Study 1, moderate- and heavy-drinking male undergraduates were paired with confederates who behaved in a sociable or unsociable manner while modeling either light or heavy consumption. Modeling occurred in the sociable conditions but not in the unsociable conditions, where subjects tended to drink heavily. In Study 2, a similar group of subjects was exposed to
one of three social status conditions crossed with light versus heavy consumption. The results indicated a modeling effect in all social status conditions. These studies provide further support for the existence of a modeling effect that can be
disrupted by a lack of rapport between drinking partners. This latter finding has implications for the etiology of problem drinking because it suggests that increased alcohol consumption may serve as a strategy for coping with aversive social interactions.

Resumen: A partir de un trabajo de campo de más de siete años en la región andina
quechua de Cochabamba, en Bolivia, se constató que los humanos tienen interacciones muy
concretas con seres invisibles, no humanos, aquí los muertos. En este artículo se pretende
aportar algunas pistas para comprender lo que motiva a los hombres a alimentarlos y darles
de beber.
Diferentes dispositivos cognitivos aportan a la comprensión del fenómeno que hace percibir
a los muertos actuando a la manera de los vivos y perteneciendo todavía a su mundo.
Entre ellos, la construcción de un ambiente sensorial propicio al «encuentro», la puesta en escena
del muerto como una persona viva a través de disfraz, gestos, voz..., la ingestión de
bebidas euforizantes con los muertos. Veremos que con estos procedimientos, donde se cruzan
la percepción y la representación, se puede pensar en la encarnación de los difuntos.
Palabras clave: Andes, difuntos, ebriedad, representación, cognición encarnada, cognición
sensorial.
Abstract: From a fieldwork of more than seven years in Cochabamba’s Andean Quechua region,
in Bolivia, it was stated that humans maintain very concrete interactions with invisible,
not human beings, here the dead. This article aims to provide some clues to understand what
motivates the people to feed them and give them to drink.
Different cognitive devices contribute to the comprehension of the phenomenon that
makes perceive the dead acting like the alives and still belonging to their world. Among
them, there are the construction of a propitious sensory environment to the «encounter»,
the staging of the dead as a living person through costume, gestures, voice..., the ingestion
of intoxicating drinks with the dead. We will see that thanks to these procedures at the
crossing between perception and representation, it will be possible to think the incarnation
of the deceased.
Keywords: Andes, dead, drunkenness, representation, embodied cognition, sensory cognition.

In my Phd I have tried to analyse the link between men and wine (and to a larger extent alcohol in general) during the French colonization of Tunisia (1881-1956), in an area where the State was then subject to much change. The state quickly organized wine production, first to meet the demand of metropolitan France, where phylloxeria's disease had been spreading. The State made a law, to frame out the colon society, which at that time considered that high quality production was quintessiential to its identity. Every person who wished to open an alcohol « store » was to send a specific « request » to the governor of each region. The governor then asked the police, and decided on whether to grant the authorization or not. This « matter » concerned every worker of the administration, and alcohol trade is a good means for an analyisis of the State's day-to-day work. More specifically, cafés, as a place of exchange, played a very important role in the « setting up » of the state's legitimacy. Finally, despite the economical interests at stake, the state imposed much control on wine consumption. For example, the state very quickly decided to ban the sale of alcohol to Muslims. This policy, set up in order to control a/an expanding growing economic « area », and which was difficult to enforce, was a way to forge an alliance with religious authorities, and set up an orientalist policy for colonies.

Cette thèse de doctorat invite à étudier la production, la commercialisation et la consommation d’alcool dans la Tunisie du Protectorat (1881-1956). Nous avons cherché plus spécifiquement à savoir dans quelle mesure la Tunisie de la fin du XIXe siècle et du début du XXe siècle connait une « alcoolisation », c’est-à-dire une augmentation de la consommation d’alcool, et une plus grande actualité de ce sujet dans le débat public. En analysant la correspondance de la haute administration, la presse, les écrits littéraires, les archives policières, judiciaires et hospitalières, nous essayons de mesurer le curseur à partir duquel la consommation d’alcool ou le buveur sort de la norme, devient « alcoolique » dans un hôpital, ou « ivrogne » selon un tribunal. Mais l’essentiel de notre propos est plutôt de cerner davantage une consommation quotidienne d’alcool, à travers les volumes d’alcool consommés, l’étude du nombre et de la répartition des débits de boissons dans les villes, qui permettent de mesurer l’impact réel et physique de la colonisation. Même si la majeure partie de la production est destinée à l’exportation, la viticulture est un fait colonial important, qui a également des répercussions sur la consommation d’alcool et de vin localement. Enfin, dans un dernier temps, nous nous attachons à étudier l’utilisation politique des questions liées à l’alcool. Véritable instrument de propagande des nationalistes pour dénoncer les effets négatifs de la colonisation, l’alcool est également utilisé par l’administration pour séparer les sphères coloniales et afficher une politique de communication offensive. L’interdiction de vente d’alcool aux Tunisiens musulmans décidée en 1914 tente de donner des gages de respect des autorités françaises envers les coutumes musulmanes, en même temps qu’il officialise une différence structurelle entre deux sociétés, selon les penseurs européens, comme pour les nationalistes tunisiens.

Alcohol intoxication is a major source of antisocial behaviour in our society, strongly implicated in various forms of interpersonal aggression. Yet moral philosophers have paid surprisingly little attention to the literature on alcohol and its effects. In part this is because philosophers who have adopted a more empirically-informed approach to moral psychology have gravitated toward moral sentimentalism, while the literature on alcohol intoxication fits very poorly with the sentimentalist account. Most contemporary research on the psychological effects of alcohol is focused upon variants of the “disinhibition” theory, which suggests that alcohol does not provoke any specific affect, it merely weakens executive control. This research, we argue, lends support to a deontic moral psychology, which identifies our ability to suppress behavioural impulses as a central feature of moral agency.

En los últimos años, en nuestro país, ha habido un auge en los estudios
sobre el movimiento popular, las formas de organización y protesta
obrera, el proceso de proletarización, entre otros aspectos. Desde el
ámbito de la historia social se han abordado materias como la sociabilidad
popular, el uso de la violencia, la prostitución y el alcoholismo.
En este esfuerzo esclarecedor sobre las maneras de conformar y de vivir
la experiencia popular-obrera en el Chile del siglo XIX y XX, nos propusimos
convocar a diversos investigadores para que reflexionaran sobre
la relación entre el alcohol y el trabajo, que en los estudios historiográficos
han aparecido como dos realidades alejadas. En este sentido, el discurso
histórico sobre el trabajo y el halo ético que lo constituyó como
factor productivo, pueden ser consideradas como condiciones propicias
para pensar lo laboral como una experiencia marcada por el orden, el
respeto a la autoridad y los afanes de producción, que cualquier falta de
disciplina, desacato o atentado a las normas y moral vigente podían
poner, peligrosamente, en cuestión.
Así, les propusimos a los colegas que aceptaron la convocatoria, a que
acercaran estas dos realidades que, bajo nuestra perspectiva, han estado
más cercanas de lo que aparecen. En términos concretos nuestro objetivo
apuntó a reflexionar sobre cómo es posible leer la experiencia laboral
desde el alcohol. Esta opción nos obligaba a alejarnos de perspectivas
—legítimas por cierto— que han tratado el alcohol y el alcoholismo
cercano a la sociabilidad popular, la fiesta y los espacios de esparcimiento
de la población.

Archaeological evidence and literary sources regarding wine production in Lugdunum territory were for a long time deficient due to the few researches devoted to its hinterland. The ongoing excavation of a vast estate situated in this territory fills the gap: traces
of a vineyard, treading-floor and press installations in use for more than three centuries, between the mid-1rst century BC to the end of the 3rd century AD, have been uncovered. The early date of this establishment, contemporaneous with the colonial foundation towards the end of the Republic, must be pointed out; this region can be considered as the bridgehead to the introduction of viticulture techniques in non Mediterranean Gaul. During the more advanced stage, the exploitation reaches a volume of production which fits to a large scale marketing and a status which can be compared to the great estates in Narbonensis. Theses discoveries provide new prospects and allow a reassessment of the reading of some written sources, of vats and palynological and carpological remains identified within villae, and also of the documentation concerning the Lugdunum amphorae, linked before to a redistribution of bulk imported wine.

In comparing Tantric Buddhism and Sufism, it is important to note that they are situated as inner dimensions of religious traditions that teach self-control or complete abstinence in consuming alcohol. Yet in these inner dimensions of religious practice, the use of alcohol transcends institutional regulation and prohibition to allow the practitioner to acquire a higher state of spiritual consciousness. This paper will investigate the use of wine and its effects of intoxication in both the Tantric Buddhist and Sufi examples, exemplifying the way that wine functions as a tool of enlightenment for Tantric Buddhists, and a symbol of divine intimacy among Sufis.

This article examines the geography of pisco, a South American brandy claimed as the national drink of both Peru and Chile. The historic tension between these two nations based notably on the nineteenth-century War of the Pacific is used as a backdrop to understanding the cultural and political contestation over the “ownership” of this beverage. Although both countries see exportation of pisco as a means of agricultural development, much of the animosity of this trade dispute is couched in cultural and historical terms. International trade policies, including the use of geographical indications (labels of geographical origin) for the purposes of trademarking, and the physical geography that makes pisco production possible are discussed. Keywords: alcoholic beverages, Chile, cultural geography, Peru,
trade policies.

As Greco-Roman culture spread across Europe during the later Iron Age, being reshaped and adjusted to Roman imperial discourse, wine and other Mediterranean cultural influences were adopted by many indigenous small-scale societies. Certain groups were resistant to such cultural markers, including the Delmatae, who inhabited the hinterland of Dalmatia, modern day Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Archaeological evidence shows a distinct lack of Mediterranean imports, including vessels associated with the trade and consumption of wine in areas associated with the Delmatae, while their indigenous neighbors readily adopted them into local cultural templates. Critically approaching and building upon the thesis of Dzino, that the newly formed Delmataean identity incorporated a strong anti-Mediterranean sentiment, this paper proposes that 'economies of power' were a significant factor in the construction of local group identities, and in the shaping of dynamic attitudes towards foreign imports, from positive desire to conscious rejection.

La consolidación del uso de drogas como problema público, la relativa ausencia o falta de efectividad de las respuestas terapéuticas y la demanda social al Estado para que asuma su responsabilidad en este campo configuran el escenario contemporáneo en que se desarrollan y ganan legitimidad iniciativas religiosas de tratamiento para el consumo problemático de drogas. Desde las ciencias sociales no se han indagado en profundidad las perspectivas de trabajo de estas iniciativas, el alcance de su cobertura y el tipo de articulación con el Estado y otras instituciones. En este sentido, como equipo de investigación nos propusimos un estudio que permitiese relevar y sistematizar las organizaciones religiosas que orientan su labor a personas con consumos problemáticos de drogas en el Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires; explorar los enfoques en este campo de parte de actores
religiosos, operadores socio-comunitarios y profesionales de la salud que trabajan en dichas organizaciones; y analizar las experiencias de personas que reciben atención en estas organizaciones, sus prácticas de cuidado, sus creencias y sus procesos de subjetivación.

This paper deals with the social and cultural uses of alcoholic beverages, and particularly wine, during the lberian lron Age.  lts main purpose is to put forward a consistent set of hypotheses about the social, ritual and military uses of wine and beer in the different areas of Iberia during the iron Age. from the end of the Orientalizing period to the Roman Conquest.
We believe that during the Orientalizing period the access lo wine -introduced through Phoenician-Punic colonization, and still in short supply-was limited to the aristocratic elites, and that its consumption using specialized vessels was a sign of very high status. As climate and soil allowed a quick and successful introduction of vines, we believe that from {he end of the sixth century onwards the uses of wine changed, as local production allowed for a wider distribution, and that the meaning of wine as a sign of distinction gave way to new patterns.
During the ear{y lberian period, the role of drinking became different: wine was probably used by the aristocra fÍc groups as a means of creating dependence through hospitality by its distribution to 10'vver status groups in certain ceremonies such as 'feasts of merit', funerals, etc. Its production and distribution was still, however, strictly controlled by the ruling elites.
The military implications of the consumption of alcohol in a warlike and aristocratic society such as the lberian and Celtiberian are studied in some detail from two different points of view: first, ¡he use of alcohol as a bonding element of warrior groups in banquets and feasts; second, the use in ancient societies of wine, beer and spirits as a tonic before actual battle, using modern examples lo emphasize certain points.

This special issue of Current Drug Abuse Reviews is devoted to the alcohol hangover. Alcohol hangover can be described as the general misery felt the day after an evening of excessive alcohol consumption. Among students and young adults, alcohol hangover is reported as most frequently experienced alcohol-related consequence [1, 2]. However, alcohol hangovers are experienced by people of all ages and the consequences are often underestimated. Three examples below illustrate the impact alcohol hangover can have on job performance, health, and accident risk.

""Aims: To provide a snapshot content analysis of social media marketing among leading alcohol brands in the UK, and to outline implications for both regulatory policies and further research. Methods: Using screengrab technology, the complete Facebook walls and Twitter timelines for 12 leading UK alcohol brands in November 2011 were captured and archived. 701 brand-authored posts were identified and categorised using a thematic coding frame. Key strategic trends were identified and analysed in the light of contextual research into recent developments in marketing practice within the alcohol industry. Results: A number of dominating trends were identified. These included the use of real-world tie-ins, interactive games, competitions, and time-specific suggestions to drink. These methods reflect a strategy of branded conversation-stimulus which is favoured by social media marketing agencies. Conclusions: A number of distinct marketing methods are deployed by alcohol brands when using social media. These may undermine policies which seek to change social norms around drinking, especially the normalisation of daily consumption. Social media marketing also raises questions regarding the efficacy of reactive regulatory frameworks. Further research into both the nature and impact of alcohol marketing on social media is needed.
Everyday, everywhere: alcohol marketing and social media – current trends""

Kombucha is a complex beverage - a fermented tea and sugar solution involving a complex symbiosis or ecology of organisms. It is more alcoholic than many like to think with only a few reviews covering its overall complexity. This review redresses that imbalance in scientific coverage. The focus is on alcohol content and the studies available along with suggestions for further indepth research.

There is a perception that drug use is a serious and growing problem to be solved by medicine, social work and drug enforcement agencies. This book takes a critical standpoint again such populist views and interprets drug use as one of any number of normal activities that people engage. This qualitative research utilising a bricoleur ethnographic methodology focuses on the drug taking of non-treatment seeking illegal drug users. The data reveals that they manage several social identities and the potential stigma of being discovered as an illicit user of illegal drugs utilising several strategies to remain intentionally unseen. The book explores how and in what way socially competent drug users differ from visible treatment seeking drug users. In order to develop this understanding, several gatekeepers were identified and within their social networks the participants were recruited into this research. The participants (n=24) were recruited from a wide range of age groups (21-52) and geographical locations within Scotland. One to one interviews, a focus group,and several pair bonded partners were interviewed together providing rich sources of data. Interviews were transcribed and analysed thematically from a social constructionist perspective. The findings illuminate the ways in which the intentionally unseen identify and manage risks from drugs, drugs policy and the potential shame and stigma were their hidden social worlds revealed. The practical implications of the results are explored and recommendations for future research are discussed.

The ancient world was thoroughly steeped in alcohol. From the earliest Neolithic experiments with controlled fermentation to the elaborate drinking cultures of the Classical world and beyond, alcohol has infused and inflected social life for many thousands of years. This lecture- and discussion-based course provides an introduction to the production and consumption of beer, wine, and other fermented beverages across the ancient world. We will explore the full range of available source material – written evidence, physical remains, artistic representations, ethnographic accounts, and experimental archaeology – to develop an account of alcohol as a uniquely potent form of material culture that was embedded within complex webs of social, political, economic, and ritual activity. After an introduction to the basic principles of fermentation, we will move through a series of regional case studies. In each case, we will piece together evidence for the places where alcoholic beverages were produced, as well as the technologies and techniques employed. As far as possible, we will consider the beverages themselves – their tastes, textures, and alcohol content – and their effects on imbibers. We will also examine the broader context of consumption, that is, the places, events, and occasions where beer, wine, and other beverages were consumed, often in symbolically loaded circumstances.

During the study period, Russia’s public health crisis, which was characterised in the 1990s and until 2005 by dramatic fluctuations of all-cause mortality and of mortality from alcohol-related causes, has continued. Research carried out during the past two
decades suggested that this public health crisis was driven by excessive and hazardous alcohol consumption, by high rates of smoking, by deterioration of the health system and of other broader social-economic determinants in the country, with alcohol playing a substantial proximal role among them. However, after 2005 mortality trends began
to decline, and this decline has continued up to 2013. The amendments to alcohol legislation
introduced since 2001, and especially those in 2006 and later in 2011, have likely
played a positive role in diminishing the production and consumption of illegal and unrecorded
spirits, which has subsequently led to an improvement in alcohol-driven health
indicators. However, life expectancy in Russia still remains 10–15 years lower than in
Western countries and corresponds closely to the previous 1960-levels in the Soviet Union,
suggesting that the quality and implementation of recent alcohol control measures
has not led to significant improvements in the health status of Russian citizens, which
would be expected to correspond to the level of other modern industrialised countries.

This paper provides a historical overview of licensing law in Scotland. It seeks to put important contemporary policy developments in their historical context and to draw attention to key themes in licensing policy debates across the United Kingdom. Based on a survey of statutes, commissions of enquiry and consumption and retail data, this article draws together historical evidence to present a synopsis of Scottish licensing history.

The study deals with the effect of the introduction of an alcohol levy in Botswana. The idea behind the introduction of an alcohol levy is to increase the pricing structure of alcohol as one way of trying to curb the social ills associated with excessive consumption of alcohol. While the alcohol industry has been one of the fastest growing industries in the world, it has always been subjected to criticism in the sense that it is considered to grow at the expense of a breakdown of the social fabric of our societies. It is against this backdrop that Botswana was used as a case in hand. A quantitative study was undertaken to measure the level of understanding of the imposition of an alcohol levy in Botswana and to determine the level of success achieved through this. At the current rate, the alcohol levy seems not to be making much difference in the society’s welfare as was anticipated at its inception. At present, revenues are collected from both the levy and excise duties, however, it remains to be seen what formula would bring about the desired results of low and responsible alcohol intake among consumers

This article introduces the idea of a “pedagogy of regret” to illustrate some of the inadequacies in recent government policy initiatives which target young women’s drinking practices. In the Australian context, the National Binge Drinking Campaign warned young women: “Don’t turn a night out into a nightmare”. A similar British campaign advised drinkers to “know their limits”. The rhetorical appeal of these campaigns hinges on the notion of regret: young women will lament the excesses of hedonistic indulgence the morning after given the inevitable consequences of risky behaviour. This paper shows the limitations of such an appeal through a “sympathetic online cultural studies” approach (Driscoll and Gregg, 2008a, 2008b, 2010) exploring the nexus between contemporary drinking cultures and the social networking site Facebook. Ordinary and mundane uses of Facebook—status updates anticipating the weekend, mobile posts in the midst of intoxication, photo uploading and album dissemination the morning after—reveal the anticipatory pleasures, everyday preparations and retrospective bonding involved in hedonistic and risky alcohol consumption. This demonstrates the fundamentally social dimensions accompanying young women’s drinking. The enjoyment derived from sharing the “risky” and “regrettable” experience on Facebook is part of an ongoing “drunken narrative” between girls (Griffin et al 2009). Such pleasures, which are increasingly mediated by social networking sites, confound the notion that young women are haunted by inevitable regret and remorse.

The phenomena of new settlements characterized the territories of Southern Italy from the 8th c. B.C. This  focuses on theoretical approaches to the study of indigenous societies with particular reference to the contribution of cognitive archaeology. Starting with the necessity of studying the forms of organization of the villages and moving through the application of interpretative models still little exploited, it discusses the relationship between the way of living and the process of defining identity in local communities between the 8th and 6th c. B.C. Aspects related to the ceremonial sphere play an important role, identifiable by the particular incidence of decorated pottery. A number of observations are made about the production and the consumption of alcoholic beverages in the Iapygian culture including archeometric analysis on organic compounds (appendix 2).

Although a wide research literature suggests a regular connection between drinking, violence and social disorder, much doubt remains as to the actual nature and significance of this link. Some strong insights into this are provided by a dual consideration of the tie between masculine social identity and heavy group drinking, and the importance of issues of male honour in the social interaction that leads to much violent behaviour. But as well as this, information from the author's detailed ethnographic study of assaults in public drinking venues illuminates the subjective experience of participation in acts of disorder and violence. This is filtered through understandings of certain forms and aspects of popular leisure as entailing social protest and resistance to middle class morality. Although masculinist and frequently destructive, this violence is interpreted by many drinkers as providing a liberating and attractive sense of release, group pleasure and carnival.

Ancient Roman wine is found outside of the borders of the Roman world as a result of the Roman influence, trade and political relations. In our project, we decided to extensively research and recreate the ancient method of wine making in order to understand ancient viticulture and viniculture as it could have been if implemented outside of the borders. The objective was to recreate roman wine using ancient methods based on ancient texts (such as Columella, Pliny the Elder, Cicero, Cato the Elder, Galenus and Mago). The wine was made using modern grapes grown on lands considered by the Romans as barbaric (i.e., outside the Roman Limes), in modern Poland. The aim of the project—except for the wine making itself—was to measure the level of alcohol created through fermentation process. Ethanol levels in samples were obtained using gas chromatography (GC).

The aim of this paper is to examine the importance of rice-beer (zao) amongst the Zeme Nagas.  Colonial and Christian missionaries brought in new ideas into social and cultural practices, quite different from their own, within the Zeme regions.  One way to frame this interaction is to examine the salient tension between worldviews inhabited by indigenous religions and Christianity; and the paradox that this represents in the Zeme’s encounters.  I aim to demonstrate how the term “religion” and “culture” can be understood by examining the position of rice-beer in Zeme society.  I will show how these debates were influenced by 19th century Victorian interlocutors – the enthusiastic missionaries and colonial administrators – but equally how local discourses appropriated these colonial concepts as a point of leverage for internal social dynamics in contemporary times.

The purpose of this study was to compare the experiences of students residing in on-campus housing with those of students residing in fraternity/sorority housing, specifically to explore the differences in academic success, alcohol use, and perceptions of the living environment as a function of students’ living arrangement and gender. The researcher sampled 772 respondents from the aggregate results of five institutions that administered the ACUHO-I/EBI Resident Assessment and the AFA/EBI Fraternity/Sorority Assessment during the 2009—10 academic year. Differences by living arrangement and gender were tested using a rank-based factorial analysis of variance. The results revealed several significant differences. Implications for practice include encouraging students to review their academic behaviors, promoting active engagement within residence halls, establishing improved safety measures in fraternity and sorority houses, promoting academic engagement in fraternities, and reducing the prevalence of alcohol use in fraternities and sororities.

The ubiquity of alcohol in Africa affords a wealth of comparison within Africa, and between African and the outside world. The intrinsic nature of alcohol, its ingestion in the human body, and its power to alter states of consciousness incite controversy. Alcohol is an integral part of everyday life in Africa, particularly in rural communities where its production and distribution are closely intertwined with consumption. As a medium for communication with the ancestors, it has always had a central place inAfrican Religious belief. And in urban and rural areas alike, drinking provides a focal point for relaxation and socializing.  Alcohol is a reflexive and not simply a reflective substance through which African society can be analysed the themes of this book are ice-ranging, dealing not only with how people use alcohol, but also with how alcohol affects people.

Is Marijuana harmless?
To answer this question, we evaluate the morality of recreational marijuana use from a virtue perspective guided by the theological synthesis of St. Thomas Aquinas. We examine: 1) Frequency and extent of marijuana use in different populations 2) Distinctions between medicinal use and recreational use -- a line which is often blurred in practice 3) Three criteria for virtuous recreation 4) Short-term and long-term effects of marijuana use 5) How getting "high" is analogous to "intoxication" 6) A virtue analysis of various motives for using marijuana

The dominant modalities of treatment for alcoholism in Russia are suggestion-based methods developed by narcology—the subspecialty of Russian psychiatry which deals with addiction. A particularly popular method is the use of disulfiram—an alcohol antagonist—for which narcologists commonly substitute neutral substances. Drawing on 14 months of fieldwork at narcological clinics in St. Petersburg, this article examines the epistemological and institutional conditions which facilitate this practice of “placebo therapy.” I argue that narcologists’ embrace of such treatments has been shaped by a clinical style of reasoning specific to a Soviet and post-Soviet psychiatry, itself the product of contested Soviet politics over the knowledge of the mind and brain. This style of reasoning has facilitated narcologists’ understanding of disulfiram as a behavioral, rather than a pharmacological, treatment and has disposed them to amplify patients’ responses through attention to the performative aspects of the clinical encounter and through management of the treatment’s broader reputation as an effective therapy. Moreover, such therapies have generally depended upon, and helped to reinforce, clinical encounters premised on a steeply hierarchical physician–patient relationship.

New England seafarers from small merchant ships visited the natural saltpans of the Venezuelan island of La Tortuga from the late seventeenth century up until 1781. The liminal space of the island set the stage for the creation of an improvised “tavern” where the communalism of shipboard life was suddenly changed to more markedly vertical relations. Drawing from archaeological excavations and original documentary sources it is argued that, while on land, captains no longer worked alongside their crews who now labored extracting salt. With leisure time available to them, punch drinking offered captains a means of discursive practice through the manipulation of fashionable material culture and an opportunity to negotiate their social position among peers. When given to the crew, punch served as a labor incentive and a way of obfuscating the sudden change in customary captain-crew relations while on the island.

Late medieval China (D"g ff dynasty, 618-907) witnessed a relarively rapid change in drinking habits as alcohol increasingly made way to tea as the drink of choice at all levels of sociery. This shift cannot be understood without appreciating the fact that Buddhists were active not only in changing people's attitudes toward intoxicating substances, but also in spreadittg ie" &inking throughout the empire. Till the middle of the eighth .itrt,rry t-." *", known as a regional speciality of South China, but by the end of the ninth century it had become a vital component in the economy and in everyday life throughout the empire (ceresa r996).Alcohol, which was drunk not only for p"ersonal pleasure but also to strengthen social bonds and for ritual purposes, was faced with a rival for the first time in Chinese history.

Esta disertación de maestría trata sobre el tema de la producción del ron clandestino en la
isla de Puerto Rico. Argumentamos que esta actividad económica clandestina es una de
las mayores prácticas de desobediencia civil, colectiva y sistemática al sistema jurídicopolítico
del gobierno federal y local de la isla de Puerto Rico, desde la implementación de
La Prohibición de alcohol en el 1917 hasta nuestros días (PICÓ, 1983). La data nos llevó
a una comprensión y entendimiento sobre la realidad económica y social de los
destiladores del “ron cañita”, a través de sus historias de vida, sus visiones de mundo y su
relación clandestina con un fenómeno centenario, actual y que todavía no ha sido
estudiado. El objetivo de la presente investigación es entender, comprender y
posiblemente interpretar, el carácter simbólico de la producción, circulación y consumo
del ron ilegal en Puerto Rico como forma de entender los procesos y discursos de
pertenencia y resistencia e intentar delimitar el lugar de este destilado en la cultura de la
isla, a través de la historia social del ron clandestino. Metodológicamente, La
investigación fue conducida a través de un acercamiento etnográfico con trabajadores
clandestinos y por medio del levantamiento de informaciones periodísticas, históricas y
antropológicas.

An adolescent’s perception of norms is related to her or his engagement in alcohol-related behaviors. Norms have different sources, such as parents, peers, and community. We explored how norms from different sources were simultaneously related to different alcohol-related behaviors (current drinking, drunkenness, heavy episodic drinking, driving under the influence or riding with a impaired driver, and alcohol-related nonviolent consequences) using data collected in 2004 from 6,958 adolescents from 68 communities in five states. Results revealed that parent, friend, and community norms were related to adolescents’ alcohol-related behavior, but the strength of these impacts varied across behaviors. The pattern of results varied when the analysis relied on all adolescents or just those who had consumed alcohol in the last year.