Alcohol And Culture Essay
Jeffrey Martorana
Cultural Anthropology
Prof Liddy
18 April 2012
The Effects of Alcohol in Society and Culture
When alcohol is introduced to a culture or society, it can often affect it in many different ways. The outcomes can be violent or can cause peace among people. When alcohol is involved, humans tend to become more violent and out going. They will often do things that they wouldn’t normally do, and act in a strange way. Different cultures and societies respond different to alcohol in terms of how much they can drink and what their bodies can handle. Alcohol has been used all throughout history for various things such as a stimulant, anesthetic, used for social festivities. Although it can be used for good, it can often lead …show more content…
At weddings we make toasts with glasses of champagne and at dinner we consume a glass of wine. The biggest issue for the US is the legal age to consume alcohol. Here in America it is 21, while in most countries it is 18. These countries have far less problems when it comes to drinking and driving as well as underage drinking. In America you have the right to fight for our country as well as vote for the president, but it is illegal to enjoy a glass of wine. For our culture, the drinking age should be lowered so we can see the negative affects of alcohol be lowered.
When in comes to drugs, societies and cultures respond much differently than they do to alcohol. Narcotics such as marijuana can calm people down and often make them feel as if they are at complete peace. People often turn to them when something as wrong so they can forget about all their problems.
When looking back on eras such as the 60’s and 70’s, drugs were a major influence on the people in America. They were influenced by the major celebrities and did all they could to be like them. Although there were wars going on around the world, American “hippies” were very peaceful. They drugs they did basically showed who they were. Drugs and Narcotics are still big in America today, as well as in countries and tribes all around the
Cultural Anthropology
Prof Liddy
18 April 2012
The Effects of Alcohol in Society and Culture
When alcohol is introduced to a culture or society, it can often affect it in many different ways. The outcomes can be violent or can cause peace among people. When alcohol is involved, humans tend to become more violent and out going. They will often do things that they wouldn’t normally do, and act in a strange way. Different cultures and societies respond different to alcohol in terms of how much they can drink and what their bodies can handle. Alcohol has been used all throughout history for various things such as a stimulant, anesthetic, used for social festivities. Although it can be used for good, it can often lead …show more content…
At weddings we make toasts with glasses of champagne and at dinner we consume a glass of wine. The biggest issue for the US is the legal age to consume alcohol. Here in America it is 21, while in most countries it is 18. These countries have far less problems when it comes to drinking and driving as well as underage drinking. In America you have the right to fight for our country as well as vote for the president, but it is illegal to enjoy a glass of wine. For our culture, the drinking age should be lowered so we can see the negative affects of alcohol be lowered.
When in comes to drugs, societies and cultures respond much differently than they do to alcohol. Narcotics such as marijuana can calm people down and often make them feel as if they are at complete peace. People often turn to them when something as wrong so they can forget about all their problems.
When looking back on eras such as the 60’s and 70’s, drugs were a major influence on the people in America. They were influenced by the major celebrities and did all they could to be like them. Although there were wars going on around the world, American “hippies” were very peaceful. They drugs they did basically showed who they were. Drugs and Narcotics are still big in America today, as well as in countries and tribes all around the