Cross cultural aspects of drinking, alcohol abuse, and alcoholism

Horton theorized that the primary function of alcohol consumption was anxiety reduction, and anxiety was based primarily on economic security. Cultural attitudes are divided into four groups: (1) abstinence, (2) ambivalence, (3) permissiveness, and (4) over-permissiveness. There is little data on abstinent cultures, but ambivalent cultures suffer from conflicting social standards and inconsistent standards, while over-permissive cultures suffer from clear abuse. However, permissive cultures have well defined social norms for alcohol use and taboos on drunkenness. This social control successfully limits drunkenness and associated social ills, but health problems from high alcohol consumption are evident. Future studies of alcohol abuse should focus more on the powerful effects of different socialization methods.