Who Are the Drinkers?

◆ “Drinking is an extremely influential component of American culture,” said Dr. Ira H. Cisin, sociology professor at George Washington University, Washington, D.C. “Alcohol facilitates social relations and that’s apparently how it’s used.” To find out who uses it, 2,746 persons were interviewed. All of them were 21 and over. In the study “alcoholic beverages” meant all kinds​—wine, beer and whiskey. Almost one-third of the men and women surveyed, 32 percent, were listed as “abstainers,” that is, they drink less than once a year or not at all. “Infrequent drinkers,” who drink at least once a year but less than once a month, accounted for an additional 15 percent. That leaves a 53 percent majority who drink larger quantities and more often, with heavy drinkers the smallest percentage. More men drink, and they also drink more than women, but drinking among women is on the rise. About 60 percent of the women drink at least once a year​—up from 45 percent a dozen years ago. Italian-Americans are said to rank highest among nationality groups in the proportion of drinkers, 91 percent. But sons of Irish-born fathers have the highest proportion of habitual drinkers, 93 percent, and of heavy drinkers, 31 percent.

Discouraging Drunkenness

◆ The government of the Soviet Union is making a concerted drive nationwide against heavy drinking. Vodka prices have doubled in Moscow’s restaurants. Cafés have locked away their cognac and now serve only wines. Liquor outlets around factories and plants have been ordered to move or close, and hours of sales have been curtailed. The reason behind the move to reduce drunkenness is believed to be, not morality, but a rumor that drinking is partly responsible for a sag in industrial production.