ABSTRACT
Although it is true that every animal has to drink, in the generic sense of imbibing some liquid in order to survive, it is also true that no animal has to drink, in the specific sense of ingesting any alcoholic beverage. And yet most people in most societies throughout the world do choose to drink from time to time. Having already explored the questions of who drinks, what, when, where and how they drink, it now seems appropriate to look at why they drink and, correlatively, why some others choose not to drink.
