Abstract
American conventional wisdom about the effects of ethanol beverages on drinkers is discussed. It is argued that “rediscovery” of the disease model of alcoholism has coincided with the public “ownership” of alcohol-related problems by physicians. The role medical practitioners have played in establishing and upholding American beliefs about alcohol is discussed, and it is noted that this has prevented other points of view from gaining public attention. This is lamentable since many of the “scientific beliefs” that underlie the medical model do not stand up to scrutiny when the cross-cultural record is examined. The importance of considering psychosocial and cultural factors along with biophysical and medical variables in achieving a complete understanding of the relationship between human beings and alcohol is emphasized.
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