ABSTRACT
Alcohol is the most popular and widely used psychoactive drug in the world. In many societies alcohol has been incorporated into the fabric of everyday life, with its use being an integral part of the most joyous and the most distressing of human occasions. Alcohol is used as a stimulant, a tranquilliser, an anaesthetic, a celebrant, a medicine, a social lubricant, a religious symbol, a food, a fuel and as an indicator of the transition from work to play. The evidence linking percapita consumption and alcohol-related damage is extensive and compelling. Such extensive use of alcohol is not a new phenomenon in Britain. In 1956 the French demographer Ledermann proposed a hypothesis about the distribution of alcohol consumption and its relationship to heavy drinking.
