parties and drinking

[smithsassistant]

Well it is that time of year folks. The time where there are lots of family gatherings for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and lets not forget New Years. Now with that in mind I am sure there will be alcohol at some of the gatherings especially at the New Years Eve parties though I am sure there are some out there that do parties without the alcohol.

Comments

[purpion]

It's not just in America or in American culture that uses alcohol for social gatherings. For millennia it has been used to "break the ice" so to speak for many cultures during trade agreements and for political discussions to help relax the parties involved. Mead was used often in European cultures before the use of barley and hops were ever thought of being brewed.

The Egyptians had a type of beer that was given to the pharaohs and their courts to often ease stress as well as being made for the builders of the pyramids. The history of alcohol consumption spans ages. How it is used is up to the individual.

To answer your question, "Do any of you feel that our culture believes alcohol is what makes the party?" I firmly believe that the answer lies in how the individual views the social setting. Do they view parties as a means to social drink or do they view a part as means to unwind from a terrible year? I think there should be a little more expansion to this idea before I can continue. Otherwise, I'll just keep on rambling about the issues and not really offer any sound explanation.

I honestly feel that the answer lies in upbringing. Did the ones throwing the party view their parents as social drinkers?

[smithsassistant]

Very good points and they are certainly good questions to ask. My mom did not drink a lot and she of course let me have a sip or a small glass when we had dinner with wine. A family friend would let me have some of her beer too. They did this to teach me how to drink appropriately and how not to overdo it. I think upbringing certainly determines it somehow as well as the company one keeps. I am not sure about other cultures see drinking. I can only go on what I see here in America.

[purpion]

There is such a thing as familial culture which is why when we go to certain homes they have certain rules. It's this aspect of social behavior that also plays on how things are dealt with outside the familial cultural setting.

It's through this reasoning that we understand and adapt to settings in accordance to how we perceive how social setting should be through our familial culture.