Drinking 2

not drunk but funny

     
      Alright time to put theory into practice. So you followed the rules and had a good night. But now for some deeper analyses... why do we drink? Why is the use of alcohol so popular among men all over the world? What sort of things do men associate with alcohol? These are the questions that we never ask ourselves but have relevance every time we drink. There is a reason behind men's use of alcohol that is different than women's. Namely its that we consume more and on different occasion.
         Alcohol has a very long and very interesting history. Alcohol consumption dates back to the dawn of civilization when the ancient Sumerians would brew beer. Different civilizations developed different forms of alcohol, based on the popular crop of the region they developed in. The Sumerians had beer because they grew lots of wheat as did the ancient Egyptians.  In Greece and Rome the drink of choice was wine. It was used in almost every major cultural practice, from holidays to religious rituals. They even had a God devoted to wine. Alcohol consumption and partying was a big part of live in the ancient cultures especially in Greece and Rome.  Alcohol was used extensively and was considered a gift from the gods that allowed humans to have happiness and fun.  No one is sure how it's use began but that it was a very common practice in the ancient world. It was a medium for social events. the most common example of this was the Roman symposia.  The syposia were basically giant drinking parties that allowed only rich men to attend. The symposia however were centers of political, business and sexual transaction. The majority of major deals were made in the symposia, and all because of the shared practice of alcohol consumption.
         In medieval Europe the consumption of alcohol became the most popular form of drinking because the drinker could be shore of its ripeness. Meads and beers became the primary drink because milk would sour and clean drinking water was difficult to come by especially in large cities like London or Paris. The creation of taverns during this time served more or less the same purpose of the symposia. These taverns were meeting places where men could exchange business, look at the local array of women and socialize.  The taverns of the middle ages had less of an edge as the symposia and were more focused on relaxation periods.  This tavern culture was popular all the way through the colonial period where the tavern was the social center of the town. Much of the planning and ideology of our own Revolution was created and developed in the taverns of small towns and cities, where men would come together to drink and share ideas.
         While alcohol can be used for friendly socialization we must also remember that it can have a more sinister element to it as well. The Saloons of the Wild west are a good example of this. These places were centers for criminals and outlaws. The people that hung around these areas often used alcohol in a negative way getting prostitutes drunk or conning out drunken ranch hands. Drunken violence was very common and many historians believe that half of the violence in the old west stemmed from the abuse of alcohol. Another common example of this are the old speak-easy's of the Prohibition period. These places were underground bars often owned and run by the mob. The funds that were raised by the abuse of alcohol often went to organized crime that created violence, murder and chaos.  Many of our countries most notorious criminals (Al Capone, Bugsy Malone) came out of these speak-easy's and some of the countries most hanious crimes of all time, like the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, were born from these mobs.  All of this fueled by men's need to drink alcohol.

       
           So why do we drink. Well that's simple enough to answer... because its a cultural thing. Alcohol is the only socially acceptable recreational drug in almost every society. It is something that is associated with happiness and relaxation.  Modern views on alcohol use is that it is not only something that is acceptable but expected in social situations for adults. Drinking is considered a passage into adulthood. The reason why most people drink or started drink, though most may not admit it, was because it is associated with being an adult and by drinking you are an adult.  The problem is that when you are younger and first beginning to drink we don't know our limits and end up drunk. The feeling is so foreign and makes us feel so good that we want to emulate it. That is why in most young societies (aka college) people ten to get shit-faced. Most adults tell you that they don't drink to get drunk but because it is the socially necessary thing to do. At a certain age getting shitfaced isn't cool nor appealing and instead drinking is done because it is what one is supposed to do and they avoid heavy drinking at all costs.  Lets be really the men that we consider the most mature are the ones who don't get really drunk in social situations.