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Alcoholism in Irish American Catholics
Author(s) -
O'Connor Garrett
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
the american journal on addictions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.997
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-0391
pISSN - 1055-0496
DOI - 10.1111/j.1521-0391.1996.tb00295.x
Subject(s) - irish , phenomenon , etiology , politics , population , public health , demography , history , psychology , criminology , sociology , medicine , political science , psychiatry , law , pathology , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics , linguistics
Alcoholism has been a major public health problem among Irish Catholics for centuries. Until recently, however, the etiology of this phenomenon has been poorly understood. This article attempts to 1) explore the political and socio‐historical roots of Irish American Catholic attitudes toward alcohol; 2) describe how patterns of heavy drinking among Irish Catholics have been handed down through generations; and 3) examine the role of cultural stereotyping in promoting and maintaining pathological drinking behavior among Irish Catholics from the middle of the 19th century until the present day. The author considers implications for psychotherapy with this population.