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Alcohol In Italian Culture Essay

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In the past, Italians viewed alcohol as equal to food without a worry of alcohol dependence. It was, and still is, custom for a family to enjoy wine with their meal at dinner. Their choice of beverage is specifically wine. Many areas of the country have their own specialties for winemaking and the land is ideal for growing grapes. There is a large variation between the wines throughout the country due to the soil and family traditions of creating their blend. All of these different factors made wine a main cultural factor of Italian life. Over time, wine has developed into a drink for celebration and socialization and is no longer focused on as a necessary part of meals (Struassner, 2003). Compared to other European countries, Italy has the highest volume of alcohol consumption during an occasion, like a birthday, holiday or special occasion …show more content…

Lack of knowledge for the medical complications can lead to numerous health concerns like cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, or alcohol-related accidents. All of these have the prospect of leading to death. Specifically, Italians have one of the highest rates of cirrhosis of the lives in Europe (Struassner, 2003). Although these issues are known, alcohol is an important aspect of social interactions. According to Kuntsche, Rehm, and Gmel (2004), it is unlikely that binge drinkers are aware of the risks. They avoid the negative factors because they are highly motivated by social aspects. Italians do not have as many social issues because their use does not typically lead to drunkenness (Struassner, 2003). There may be noticeable amounts of drinking, but sobriety is more common place in Italy. Italians typically consume large amounts of poor quality wine, meaning in the copious amounts of wine consumed, there is low alcohol content (Bennet and Ames, 1985). Without visible negative consequences, people will be less motivated to change their

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