mind in order to more accurately asses the current situation in American society. I feel that the response via law and legislation has taken a turn for the worst. It was my charge in writing this paper to prove that the problems of alcohol abuse can not si

The Value Conflict is also a very applicable sociological perspective especially considering the diverse composition of the American society. This theory comes into to play because of the diverse culture that makes up America. These diverse groups of people bring to the table a wide array of conceptions and moral convictions about alcohol consumption. David Pittman outlines that there are essentially four difference stances that one might take. The first group that David Pittman looks at is the group that is against any form of alcohol consumption by anyone. This is known as abstinence culture This view is held by most Muslims, Mormons, Indians, and some Christian groups such as Baptist ,Christian Scientist, and some Methodist. People from these different religions and cultures make up a large part of our society and have a powerful say about what goes on in our society. Another perspective that he explains is the permissive culture. In this culture children are exposed to alcohol starting at a very young age. In the permissive culture it is all right to drink but drunkenness is looked down upon. Statistics reveal that permissive cultures such as Jewish and Italian cultures show a lower number of alcoholics. This kind of culture is found in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Japan and in the Jewish and Chinese populations of New York. Yet another perspectives is an over-permissive stance. This stance is present in many societies but is not usually accepted in its entirety . Examples of this occur in the Japanese culture with the drinking of rice wine and beer. Another example of this is in Camba, Bolivia where a celebration includes and alcoholic drink that is highly concentrated and intoxicating. The last stance that is prevalent in the United States and other places where there are two or more beliefs concerning alcohol consumption. This is known as the ambivalent culture. This is a culture that is neutral to the use of alcohol because they are caught between one or more views. These four perspectives are very different and contradict each other in many ways. In a society that holds these four different views is a hotbed for debate. This is exactly what is present in the American society. This creates a constant struggle between these different group. Thus the natural solution for this problem would be compromise, consensus or implication of differential power.

Another valuable perspective that can be applied to the issue of alcohol abuse in our society is the social construction perspective. In order to analyze this theory it is beneficial to look into the history of alcohol in America and what has occurred throughout history. In colonial times settlers brought alcohol from Europe to the colonies (Hall). However, there was not a movement against any sort of drinking until the war for independence. During this time the continental congress made a statement that states should cut back on alcohol quotas for soldiers (Hall). As in the cycle of Social Construction this decree slowly withered away and heavy drinking was the norm. But in the natural cycle of the Social Construction theory the idea of abstinence from alcohol first reemerged in 1789 when the first temperance organization was formed in Litchfield Connecticut (Hall). Support for this movement continued and in 1826 the first national organization for temperance was formed. This group encompassed a large amount of people and was successful in closing down a few distilleries. After this there was a constant effort for temperance, but the mobilization of temperance and prohibition was diluted by the differences in these groups. The next reemergence of temperance was fueled by local attacks of alcohol by The Women’s Christian Temperance Movement (Hall). At the same time the anti saloon league was also gaining steam. After a few attempts for national prohibition the legislation was finally made into law in 1917. This law was in place until 1933 when it was repealed. Ironicall

Some topics in this essay:
Gordis Enoch, , Edward Sutherland, Alcohol Abuse, Sociological Perspective, Drunk Driving, Camba Bolivia, Colonial Days, Street Journal, Movement Hall, alcohol abuse, drinking age, zero tolerance, current situation, american society, minimum legal drinking, minimum legal, deviant behavior, legal drinking, sociological perspective, alcohol consumption, legal drinking age, christian temperance movement, women’s christian temperance, participate deviant behavior,