I am interested in this question especially from the rhetorical
perspective: how have societies articulated explanations for why people
(in my case especially African people-but also other "native peoples")
drink? One revealing window onto this is the materials collected in the
Human Relations Area file. Highly problematic in terms of the
organizing principles, categories, etc., but as a historical artifact, a
fascinating tour of cultural and scholarly assumptions. By the way, the
problem with Ivan Karp's superb paper for this kind of project (if
presented in contrast to a study of the U.S., e.g.) is the resonances it
would have with an earlier literature that looked at "simple" societies
to get at the core motivations for drinking. But life is a lot messier
for most Africans than those portrayed in Ivan's article. Chuck Ambler
-----Original Message-----
From: Alcohol and Drugs History Society
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Robin Room
Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2005 12:59 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: reasons for drinking/drug use
Listmates --
Coincidentally, the Washington Post today has an article on reasons
people give for smoking:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8063-2005Mar28.html
An excerpt:
'And then there's alcohol. "Drinking makes it difficult" not to smoke,
Palacio said. "A glass of scotch and a cigarette . . . I really like
that taste. It's so memorable. When I quit [smoking] and then have a
scotch, it tastes hollow. It's only half the taste."'
(One thought which struck me when I was working in this area, when we
found that those with more education tend to give more reasons:
basically we go to college to learn more reasons we can provide for
anything we do.) Robin
________________________________
From: Alcohol and Drugs History Society
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Maria Swora
Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2005 1:30 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: reasons for drinking/drug use
I agree with Robin that the question is loaded with epistemological
landmines.
When looking at cross-cultural accounts, we have to be careful not to
impose our own cultural assumptions about motivation. The western notion
of motivation, which is best developed in American economic analysis,
assumes a sort of individualized cost-benefit analysis. This assumption
is really quite deeply embedded in Euro-American culture, and we cannot
assume that is what is going through the heads of Yanomami shamans as
they snort up their highly hallucinogenic drugs.
Robin is right on when he suggests Mills 1940 paper on situated
vocabularies of motives.
For thought: I had spinal surgery about two weeks ago. I am taking
(decreasing doses of) hydrocodone. It works well on pain. It also
makes me woozy as heck, a state not at all unpleasant. I can endulge
now, but on Wednesday, when I go back to teaching, no more hydrocodone
except at bedtime. What's my reason for taking the stuff?
Yesterday I took full communion at mass. What was my reason for
drinking wine then? I'd love to sit outside in this beautiful weather
and drink a beer with my dog (she likes it too). What's my motivation?
And my taste for beer give me a reason for not taking hydrocodone (the
combined affects are not pleasant for me).
There's a really good paper by Ivan Karp on African beer drinking, a
very good structuralist analysis. I have taught that paper back to back
with a paper on drinking in America by that really smart man whose name
escapes me right now (too much hydrocodone), oh, Gusfield, in the volume
edited by Mary Douglas.
Sorry for the incoherence. It's the collar supporting my neck.
Maria
Francis Hartigan <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
I very much agree with Ernie.
In fact, until I read his response, I had not realized that I
was reading
the messages regarding establishing a comprehensive listing of
"reasons" for
drinking as though the word used had been "excuses." In other
words,
unconsciously, I was trying to make sense of an otherwise
incomprehensible
statement.
Maybe this is 25+ years of indoctrination.
But it is an eye opener (excuse the expression), therapeutically
speaking,
for most alcoholics, when they are told that they are drinking
because they
drank, i.e. it is in the nature of the beast to drink, having
drunk.
In our culture, the occasions for drinking being ubiquitous, the
alcoholic
striving to curb his or her drinking lives in terror of the
normal social
occasions when taking a drink is expected. Terror, because of
the near
impossibility ! of successfully negotiating a social drink.
This said, I suppose a cross-cultural listing of reasons/excuses
might still
prove useful. My guess is that the major common thread would be
rationalizing what had already occurred, i.e. a drink leading to
loss of
control.
-----Original Message-----
From: Alcohol and Drugs History Society
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Ernest Kurtz
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2005 4:37 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: reasons for drinking/drug use
David,
This will not be very helpful, but some 25+ years of hanging
around A.A.
and listening to the almost infinitely varied stories of its
members has
convinced me that an alcoholic drinks because he/she is an
alcoholic.
There is a classic article by Selden Bacon, "Alcoholics do not
drink,"
in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social
Science.
1958; 315:55-64. I suggest all interested in you! r topic read
it (though it
is, of course, unfortunately, not yet available online).
Once exposed to alcohol, an alcoholic drinks not to "feel good"
or for any
other reason than that the alcoholic is trying to "feel normal."
It strikes
me that very few non-alcoholics (e.g. James Royce, S.J., Daniel
J. Anderson
of Hazelden) have ever been able to grasp that.
I will not even approach the question of "what is an
'alcoholic'?"
except to say that what I said in the par. above may be a pretty
good
answer.
ernie kurtz
David Fahey wrote:
> Has there been comparative study of the reasons for
drinking/drug use?
> Class, sex, race, religion, age, ethnicity, in different
countries, at
> different times of the day and week, and in different
historical
> periods? And, of course, different kinds of alcohol and
different
> kinds of drugs, whether usually licit or illicit? As I write
this
> post, I realize how complicated comparisons can be!
>
>
>
Maria G. Swora, Ph.D. MPH
Department of Sociology
Benedictine College
Atchison, Kansas 66002
Don't believe everything you think.
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