HLTHAGE 2L03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Legal Drinking Age, Thirteenth Step, Microbrewery
16 Dec 2018
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Lecture 7
Alcoholism as a Disease
• Those diagnosed as alcoholics typically belonged to groups invested to suffer from poor
willpower in the first place
• Stereotypes around poor working classes, women, marginalized groups*
• It was logical to see these people called alcoholics, and diagnosed as
alcoholics
• Because these people were already disreputable (by society), this moral
element remained: both morally disreputable, but then also diseased at
the will (if someone is diseased how can you blame them? Weird
dichotomy)
• Although disease model emerged, moral aspect didn’t disappear. Nothing that character
of drinker must change for treatment to succeed
• AA arrives to address both moral/disease aspects, but not without criticism:
• Does disease orientation prompt sense of powerlessness?
• Tremendous social pressure to participate in certain activities and not others -
loss of liberty
• Big part of AA is social transformation, social engagements (n relation to
AA) are so intense that in some way it is limiting to their freedom
• Patriarchal: turning over to a ‘higher power’ more problematic when
socialized into obsequiousness. Also, the “thirteenth step”
• Thirteenth step: women sometimes record being “preyed upon”,
the thirteenth step is when some guy from your AA group preys
upon you during a vulnerable time
• Disease concept shifts focus away from structural issues
Modern Alcohol Control
• Although legal, still subject to control. How?
• Minimum age to purchase, price control (Britain - should Buy one get one free be
available for liquor?), limited hours, areas we can drink,
• Some countries ban consumption, many set age limits, and some don’t
• For higher age minimum:
• Higher minimum legal drinking age lowers injury and death rates among youth,
including car accidents
• For lower age minimum:
• Raising age limits does not significantly deter use
• Roughly the same uber of people will continue to use alcohol regardless
of the age restrictions
• Does nothing to decrease drinking; availability at a younger age might demystify
drink (and change expectations)
• Instead of seeing it as a normal part of life, it can acquire a status that you
cannot have, thus, young people may drink in ways that are a lot more
harmful
And Yet…
• Despite efforts at control, drinking widespread - all social classes, all genders, across
age span
• Perhaps never more popular - expansion of microbreweries, microdistilleries, etc. Yet
despite increase evidence of social harms, susceptibility (rather than exposure contains
to gain sway)
• However, not all drinking is seen equally
Consumption and Culture
Document Summary
Alcoholism as a disease: those diagnosed as alcoholics typically belonged to groups invested to suffer from poor willpower in the first place, stereotypes around poor working classes, women, marginalized groups* Weird dichotomy: although disease model emerged, moral aspect didn"t disappear. Aa) are so intense that in some way it is limiting to their freedom: patriarchal: turning over to a higher power" more problematic when socialized into obsequiousness. Also, the thirteenth step : thirteenth step: women sometimes record being preyed upon , the thirteenth step is when some guy from your aa group preys upon you during a vulnerable time, disease concept shifts focus away from structural issues. Modern alcohol control: although legal, still subject to control. Instead of seeing it as a normal part of life, it can acquire a status that you cannot have, thus, young people may drink in ways that are a lot more harmful.
