ABSTRACT
Drinking by adults is not considered deviant in the general American culture, but excessive drinking and alcohol abuse are, and to account for them entails accounting for both conforming and deviant drinking behavior. Moreover, problems related to drinking are often seen as special ones likely to be encountered by older adults. The social learning explanation of drinking patterns among the elderly was confirmed by the findings from the Florida study reported in this chapter. Comparing findings on drinking by the elderly with those on substance use by adolescents is facilitated by the fact that measures of the social learning variables in the Florida study are recognizably adapted from those used in the Boys Town and Iowa studies. The measures of the norms, behavior, and reactions of friends and family included in the model for frequency, quantity, and the onset of alcohol behavior in old age asked repondents about alcohol consumption in general.
