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Acculturated Italian-American Drinking Behavior

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The American Experience with Alcohol

Abstract

Drinking behavior, like all other behaviors, is culturally learned. This premise has been given greater credence in recent decades as an increasing number of anthropologists and sociologists have focused on drinking customs and their association to problem drinking. Studies that look at the cultural differences in drinking behavior (Bales, 1944; Snyder, 1958; Lolli, Serianni, Golder, & Luzzatto-Fegiz, 1958; Jessor, Young, Young, & Tesi, 1970; Simboli, 1976; Blane, 1977) offer convincing support for the inclusion of cultural factors in a holistic theory of the causes of alcoholism. One of the apparent finds from the “cultural difference” studies is that some societies have been able to enjoy the benefits of alcohol and avoid its severe liabilities.

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© 1985 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Simboli, B.J. (1985). Acculturated Italian-American Drinking Behavior. In: Bennett, L.A., Ames, G.M. (eds) The American Experience with Alcohol. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0530-7_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0530-7_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-0532-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-0530-7

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