ABSTRACT
The preceding chapters have presented a broadly cross-cultural and international view of beverage alcohol by focusing on drinking as a form of behavior that some people choose and others reject, always in the context of norms, values, attitudes, and relations with other people and with institutions. Looking at variations in the ways in which different peoples might answer the basic concerns about when, where, who, how, what, and why, with respect to drinking occasions, we always came back to the very immediate and practical question of “Why does it matter?” with special reference to further research and the development of policies.
