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Dictionary definition: drinking and alcoholism
- Article from:
- A Dictionary of Sociology
- Author:
Copyright© A Dictionary of Sociology 1998, originally published by Oxford University Press 1998. (Hide copyright information)
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drinking and alcoholism
A depressant intoxicant, the drinking of alcohol is a popular practice in the leisure time of most cultures; it is also held in regard as a key part of many religious and secular ceremonies and
rituals
. However, some cultures forbid alcohol use for reasons of religion (for example Muslims), whilst some countries (such as Finland) have sought to impose tight regulations on its availability for social reasons. The best known failure of total prohibition is the United States in the 1920s. In the United Kingdom, licensing laws dating from the First World War regulate alcohol availability. Since the Second World War, spending on alcohol has risen in most advanced ...