Alcohol Writ Accountable

Abstract

Churches in American society provide a rich cultural context within which alcohol-related beliefs are espoused and practiced. They also serve as organizations through which alcohol problems can be identified, counseling given, and treatment referrals made. The historical circumstances of the settling of North America and its original colonies led to a highly pluralistic religious environment with an overarching Protestant-Catholic-Jewish identity. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, especially, America held great promise for religious freedom for many emigres. Over the centuries Protestant denominations, in particular, have evidenced considerable splintering into distinct theological and organizational domains. Witness the proliferation, for example, of new congregations in the Baptist Church and the organizational complexity of the Lutheran and Methodist church bodies. A half-hour drive through most urban neighborhoods, small towns, and rural settlements is likely to take us past an interesting mix of different churches.

This work was supported in part by a grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, No. R01 AA04784.