Alcohol

Intro
How do the drinking habits of French and American people compare, and what role does drinking play in the cultural and social norms of each society?

Americans view alcohol as an intoxicating substance used for social or non-social purposes, whereas the French see alcohol more as a gastronomic pleasure. In both cases, drinking is very social, but in very different social situations.

American Drinking History
Before the Europeans colonized America, the Native Americans did not have much of a relationship with alcohol. Only a few tribes produced weak beers or other fermented beverages, but these were used only for ceremonial purposes. The European colonists arrived in America with a love for beer, but beer was hard to produce in America because barley was not very abundant and the yeasts were different than in Europe. Back then, beer was safer to drink than water because the process of brewing kills the bacteria present in the original water. The colonists began making beer out of pumpkin, molasses, and walnut tree chips, but it was much more bitter than the beer they were used to. Hard cider, distilled spirits, and wine became popular with the colonists. The colonists believed that distilled spirits were the “water of life”. The prefered choice of liquor was rum. The colonists began importing molasses and cane sugar directly and distilled their own rum. By 1657, a very successful rum distillery was operating in Boston. The production of rum became colonial New England’s largest and most prosperous industry before 1700. A profitable trade came about from this: called the Triangle Trade. Colonists would sell rum to England for manufactured products, then they traded those products for slaves, then they traded slaves for more molasses. This molasses would fuel more distilleries in New England. In colonial America, alcohol was vital to the growth of the colony and also very important to the colonists. Back then, alcohol was one of the only effective analgesics and provided the energy necessary for hard work. Alcohol served as a social lubricant, provided entertainment, facilitated relaxation, and contributed to the enjoyment of food in early American culture.

In 1789, the Temperance Movement, a precursor to prohibition, was created. It was characterized as a push for limiting alcohol consumption or total abstinence. It began in Connecticut, Virginia, and New York, with farmers forming groups to ban whiskey distilling. The movement spread throughout the United States, advocating temperance. The movement finally changed the legislature in 1920, bringing about prohibition. This was the 18th amendment to the Constitution which declared the production, transport and sale of alcohol illegal. In 1933, the 18th amendment was repealed, ending prohibition. Soda was created from prohibition, filling the void that beer left. People wanted a cold, crisp, carbonated refreshing drink, and the big breweries couldn’t brew beer, so they switched to making soda. Beer never truly came back to what it was before prohibition until the 1990s and now craft beer is one of the biggest industries in the United States.

Today, Beer, spirits, and wine are ubiquitously drank throughout the United States, beer being the most popular. 43% of Americans who drink alcohol prefer beer, 32% prefer wine and 20% prefer liquor. Americans tend to look for the best value in alcohol instead of the highest quality. An example of this is that Americans will go to the grocery store to get a red or a white wine, and not really care about anything else other than the color. The minimum drinking age in the U.S. is 21. The legal blood alcohol content (BAC) is 0.08 for anyone 21+ and 0.03 for anyone under 21, as most mouthwashes have enough alcohol in them to influence BAC. NH has the highest rate of alcohol consumption with 4.72 gallons per capita which is 0.90 gallons more than the second highest rate of U.S. states All events in the US involves binge drinking: concerts, sporting events, New Year's, graduations, weddings, summer cookouts, etc Drinking games are common and encouraged with many bars including games such as beer pong available to the customers Over 50% of college students have experienced at least one blackout. If you provide a minor with alcohol in New Hampshire, you are fined $2000 and have to spend a year in jail.

French Drinking History
Winemaking came to France with the Romans, who spread the practice of viticulture with their conquest of Europe. Over centuries, it evolved to be closely intertwined with the Catholic Church and religious practices. Monk Dom Pérignon was the inventor of the famous champagne. In regions like Champagne and Burgundy, the idea of terrior first took root in the special conditions that go into a wine’s creation. Most recently, in the 1930s, a system for quality control of wines called the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) was put in place. Throughout history, French culture has been closely associated with their wine-drinking habits and their production of some of the best wines in the world.

In addition to this drinking history there is quite a history of binge drinking in France which is contributes to the issue of the dangers of alcohol we are attempting to address.  We will start in 19th century France where the textile industry played a large role in the French state.  Male textiles workers would consume around 6-7 litres of wine in a day.  Female workers pace was just behind that at a rate of 4-5 litres a day.

Moving into the 20th century the binge drinking culture was supplemented by bars.  Bars would charge an individual an hourly flat rate for an all you could consume hour of gulping down wine.  Paying a specific price point and then being able to consume as much alcohol as you wanted for the hour you paid for is a dangerous practice.  This sort of practice would encourage individuals to get their money worth and in addition to that supplement a dangerous drinking regime and the behaviors and risks that would come with that.  In 1960 adults in France were consuming about 250 litres per day.  In 2016 that number is down to 42.5 which still checks in as the second highest on Earth behind the Vatican.

In France, wine is a way of life. The French produce nearly 20% of the world’s wine, an equivalent to 7 to 8 billion bottles a year. There’s a special system, the AOC,  to ensure a wine’s quality and origin. The French have a word, terroir, that loosely translates to the natural elements that go into a wine’s production, like soil, topography, and climate. Terroir is taken very seriously; these elements affect the taste and quality of the wine. Wine plays an essential role in the diet and tradition of the French. Favorite wines and techniques are passed down from generation to generation, as they share a bottle over a family meal. They aren’t sold just anywhere; specialty wine stores exist to purchase the perfect wine to pair with a meal. It’s art.

In France, you must be 18 to purchase alcohol, but there is no legal minimum age of consumption. Selling alcohol to a minor results in a fine up to €7,500 ($8,896). The legal blood alcohol content (BAC) is 0.05. In 2012, a law was passed to require a breathalyzer in every car, however there is no consequence if the driver breaks this law.

Consumption Statistics
This paragraph will serve to address statistics involved in modern French drinking to give context to the issues we are addressing.  These statistics will be based on the demographic of those age 15 and older.  An average of 12.2 litres of pure alcohol is consumed per capita per year in France.  The good news on this statistic is that the projection is trending downward towards 11.6%.  The splits for this pure alcohol consumption are about 19% beer, 56% wine, 23% spirits, 2% other.  In addition to the basic consumption of alcohol it has been found that around 29.4% of these people have participated in episodic or “binge” drinking.  Alcohol use disorders including dependance that come along with this drinking are at about 5.5%.  All of this data has lead to a World Health risk evaluation based on years of life lost of 5 on a scale to 5.

Now, the American side of these statistics will be presented.  The same demographic is used for the context of these stats for America.  About 9.2 litres of pure alcohol is consumed by American per capita per year.  50% beer, 17% wine, and 33% spirits are the splits for the consumption.  The percentage of those who have engaged in “binge” drinking is just under 17% and though most of these statistics are lower than that of France alcohol use disorders are higher at 7.4%.  This data has led to the World Health risk evaluation based on years of life lost to come in high as well at a 4, just lower than France.

Solutions
A 2010 study by the World Health Organization found that 8.8% of French men and 2.5% of French women have alcohol use disorders, and 4.7% of French men and 1.3% of French women are alcohol dependent. In the U.S., the study found that 10.7% of men and 4.2% of women suffer from alcohol use disorders and 6.9% of men and 2.6% of women are alcohol dependent. In the U.S., 2.5 million adults seek treatment for alcoholism. A popular form of treatment is Alcoholics Anonymous and the 12 step program, but other solutions include different forms of therapies, medications, specialists, education on healthy drinking habits, and self-care and abstinence. More radical solutions would be to subtly weaken drinks at bars and restaurants, raise the legal drinking age in France from 18 to 21, forbid “buying rounds” of drinks to discourage binge drinking, and ban and impose restrictions on alcohol marketing to make it harder for companies to appeal to children and young adults.