Culture or ethnicity may contribute to the way people drink alcohol or not, as the case may be. I wouldn't want to offend any group but I have to over-simplify issues discussed here due to the 'boredom factor' and length of the article I am writing.
It is known that in Jewish communities drunkenness is prohibited and that alcohol is central to religious activities, these rules are well-established and followed strictly. This behaviour is passed on through the generations by the Rabbis; who are very well respected and by parents. In Ireland there is a fairly strong Temperance tradition. This gives rise to confusion as to whether drinking is good or bad, with no consistent reinforcement that drinking is fine or strong disapproval of drinking. Unfortunately, Irish people no matter where they live, do have a reputation for being 'heavy' drinkers, but this ambivalence also occurs in Scotland where to be a man is to drink heavily.
In my own religion we are allowed to drink, in moderation, after all water was turned into wine...but we are not supposed to over-indulge in any activity...be it food and drink, or any other thing. This was always a problem to me...I wanted a drink, a lot of drink but my religion said only drink what you can safely say is a moderate amount. I then alternated between guilt and deceit. I felt guilty because I knew I was drinking too much, then I deceived myself that for me it was a 'normal' amount and I wasn't doing anything wrong ! Huh?
I found a relevant point on one website about Alcohol, Problems and Solutions and drinking under the age of 21, it's supposed to be linked to brain damage but the website asks then why do Roman Catholics and Jewish people drink in religious services but dont have brain damage ... hm good point !! But maybe the point we are missing here is that drinking to EXCESS under theage of 21 can lead to brain damage and not the small amounts partaken in religious ceremonies... For those from Asia, within certain groups there are those that suffer from alcohol adiction ..."The South Asian culture is not homogeneous. It encompasses a large geographical area covered by India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In addition there are regional variations in these countries that reflect clan, tribal and caste differences. There are many religions practised in these regions and hundreds of languages spoken including innumerable dialects." The reference can be found at: Alcohol as a problem for the South Asian Community.
Recent Blog Entries
Create a free website at Webs.com