The Significance of Cultural Patterning for the “Alcoholic Family”

This paper presents findings from a recent study of a population of middle-class Catholic families, primarily Irish, German, and Italian, among whom alcohol-related problems are frequent and severe. To understand alcohol usage in this population, a knowledge of the historical and cultural roles of drinking in the relevant ethnic or national groups and a holistic view of contemporary family life are essential. It is suggested that massive social controls in major areas of family life are closely related to problematic drinking behavior. The delineation of cultural prescriptions regarding behaviors and attitudes directly and indirectly related to drinking patterns may contribute a significant cultural dimension to proposed models of the "alcoholic family" system.