The scene is a modern three bedroom ranch in a newly built post-war suburban neighborhood. All of the houses look the same, there is an American made vehicle in every driveway, a beautifully trimmed lawn with hedges lining the front of the home and a tricycle on the walkway to the front door. Entering the front door with the round doorknob in the center of the door, you see vivid avocado greens, sienna orange and golden yellow color themes throughout the living room decor. It is stark and well organized. On the coffee table is a diamond cut glass dish with nuts and another with party mints in pastel colors with Good Housekeeping and LOOK magazines spread in between. The wooden encased floor television set sits in front of the sharp angled sofa with tall “rabbit-ears” perched on top. To the far end of the room near the dinning area, the bar comes into view. Does this sound like the setting for a social gathering indicating alcoholism? It is, in fact, just another day in the life of a 1950’s couple returning from a day of work, shopping, volunteer service, teaching or church functions.

Historically, America saw a shift in drinking patterns somewhere in the 1950’s as cocktail hour became happy hour on a daily basis prior to dinner and retiring for the evening. Home bars and routine consumption rapidly became not only acceptable, but the norm, and was a requirement for keeping up with the Jones. Many of you perhaps remember the “old mans liquor cabinet” and sneaking booze for the big high school dance. What happened? Well, media certainly had a role. Respected actors like Dean Martin and Jackie Gleason made drinking look civilized along with billboards, radio and magazine ads featuring glamorous people always, of course, with an alcohol drink in their hands. Prohibition had been lifted and it again became the American right to posses and consume alcohol without shame and persecution. The social norms changed allowing alcoholism to filter into the average family home, no longer concealed in a dark pool hall down the street.

Time travel fifty years forward to modern day. Alcoholism has now become an immense social issue for American today, reeking of pain, sorrow, regrets, debt, ill health, divorce, unemployment and death.

When alcoholism and social issues are discussed at the same time, the most obvious crisis for most is the association between drinking and driving. In your lifetime you stand a one in three chance that you will be affected by an impaired driver. An astounding 39% of auto related deaths in 2004 were alcohol linked accounting for 16,694 needless losses. In that same year, 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence which only account for a very small portion of actual self-admitted impaired driving episodes. In 2005, it was estimated that someone died every 31 minutes and injuries occurred every 2 minutes, again due to drinking and driving. By the way, it is illegal to drink and drive your horse as well, just for you cowboys.

Aggression is a common social consequence of alcoholism, primarily because alcohol diminishes inhibitions that normally would be held in check when not under the influence of the liquid drug. Ratios vary by 30% to 60% of murder, rape and physical assault involve alcohol use with the youthful generation rating slightly higher than other age brackets. Many social alcohol drinkers develop an addiction to alcohol and in can act emotionally and aggressively in the pursuit of obtaining more alcohol.

Sexual behavior is altered when drinking is involved. Many times, this leads to the morning after reality bomb of “Oh my gosh, what have I done?” Unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease and unsafe sex, violent physical invasion and betrayal of relationships all add up to serious social problems associated with alcoholism and the uninhibited decrease of self-conscious behavior.