ABSTRACT

Roizen (1997) argues that alcohol holds a unique position within most cultures in that, in spite of clear evidence of the powerful negative potential of the substance, it is bequeathed a special place of benign innocence, thereby avoiding the need for people to learn of ways to develop a “good” relationship with it. In this chapter it is argued that the need to learn (either as individuals or collectively as communities) how to use this substance with a minimum of risk takes precedence.