Teenage Drinking in an Abstinence Setting

The Problem and Its Significance Cultural variation has been treated as an important factor in a number of current theories regarding rhe use and misuse of beverage alcohol.The major assumption underlying these t heor Les , normally designated as t he socia-cultural approach, is t h at; ~vithin the cultural system of a group of people there is a general ethos or sense of decorum concerning the role of alcohol which, in turn~determines the type of response men make toward it.1 Put in ano t he r \vay, tile common fabric of values, symbols, and meanings shared by a group governs who drinks and drinking styles. 2 Subsequently, explanations of an individual's use or non-use of intoxicants can be accounted for in large measure by the cultural prescriptions for alcohol ingestion that are included in the social systems of whLch he is a member.Within knerican society, these cultural attitudes regarding alcohol and its use run the gamut from absolute prohibition to permissiveness toward moderate drinking. 3 In some subcultural systems~~he use of intoxicants is viewed as morally indefensible~while in o~hers it is acceptable in moderation and is not seen as morally wrong.One reflection of these differences is revealed by studies of the drinking patterns of rural and urban residents.In farm and small community areas fewer people use alcohol and drink less frequently than do urban people.This pattern probably indicates the strong influence in the rural environ of ascetic Protestantism: a belief that the indulgence of the senses is bad and that alcohol promotes sensualism.4

Abstinence · Developmental psychology · Psychiatry · Multicultural Socio-Legal Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes · Wine Industry and Tourism

• Teen-Agers and Venereal Disease

  T Lefoy Richman•American Journal of Public Health…•1962

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