HAS THE AMERICAN CLEAN LIVING (ANTI-ALCOHOL) MOVEMENT CRESTED?

Abstract

Western Europeans brought their drinking patterns, formed in antiquity, to the new world. Because of vast cultural differences in these drinking norms, in combination with political and social forces, anti-alcohol and prohibition movements have occurred in the United States. These have often been part of social reform cycles, sometimes called "clean living movements," where concerns about tobacco, diet, pure water, exercise and social conditions have also been common. The current movement started in the late 1970s. It has resulted in modifications of public policy and education concerning alcohol. Some of the changes since the beginning of this reform cycle have included the raising of the legal purchase age for alcoholic beverages, warning labels on alcoholic beverages, government agencies suggesting abstinence from alcohol, severe penalties for drunken driving, and lowering of blood alcohol concentration for impaired driving. Although the per capita consumption of alcohol has continued to decline since 1980 among the populace as a whole, and among underage drinkers, there has actually been an increase in alcohol related problems, other than vehicular crashes, among youth despite these measures. This current wave of anti-alcohol reform appears to have begun to wane. This is symbolized by increased publications of research showing an association between health and longevity with small amounts of alcohol, recent federal guidelines encouraging moderate drinking and the lowering of drinking age in one state. It is now time to rethink restrictive policies and educational programs implemented during the past 15 years and develop more sensible and balanced approaches to alcohol education and public policy in the United States of America.