Alcohol

Abstract

Alcohol has been described as “the intoxicant of choice in the Judaeo-Christian culture” (Parsons, 1986). Although the average amount of absolute alcohol consumed per person each year in the United States is 2.77 gallons, Parsons (1986) points out that this estimate includes one-third of the population who are abstainers. Thus, the remaining two-thirds of the population must have correspondingly greater per capita consumption rates. Furthermore, 10% of the population is said to consume 50% of the available supply of alcohol (Parsons, 1986, p. 101). Estimating numbers of problem drinkers in the United States depends largely on whether one subscribes to a categorical, disease model of alcohol abuse, and the strictness of the criteria used to divide alcoholics from nonalcoholics. Current estimates range from 5.2 to 13 million alcoholics, with somewhat over twice as many males than females (Hilton, 1989).