Introduction to Alcohol and Pleasure: A Health Perspective

Written by Stanton Peele

In order to understand the nature of the pleasure alcohol produces, and the role that pleasure plays in healthy and unhealthy drinking, Stanton organized the program for the conference, "Permission for Pleasure" for the International Center for Alcohol Policies. The volume from this conference has been published; Stanton contributed an Introduction to explain the need to examine pleasure in drinking and the resistance of public health professionals and authorities to doing so.

In: S. Peele & M. Grant (Eds.) (1999), Alcohol and pleasure: A health perspective, Philadelphia: Brunner/Mazel, pp. 1-7
© Copyright 1999 Stanton Peele. All rights reserved.

Like the conference on which it is based, this book is designed to address the concept of pleasure in relation to beverage alcohol. Colloquially, pleasure seems to be an important ingredient in alcohol consumption. Yet it has rarely been incorporated in research or public health models. The book's aim is to bring together existing knowledge on the role of pleasure in drinking and to determine whether the concept is useful for scientific understanding and policy consideration by professionals in government, public health, research, and other fields, in both the developing and developed world, who are concerned with the consumption of alcohol.

Why Is This Topic Worthwhile?

Pleasure Is an Important Motivation for Drinking Alcohol

In their surveys of drinking behavior in the United States, the Alcohol Research Group has asked ordinary drinkers about their "experiences after drinking." Among current drinkers, by far the most common response was "felt happy and cheerful" (Cahalan, 1970, p. 131; see Brodsky & Peele, 1999). The Mass Observation studies begun in the 1940s questioned ordinary drinkers closely about their drinking experiences and expectations (Lowe, 1999; Mass Observation, 1943, 1948). Some focused on the contents of the beverage ("It tastes good"), some on the mood it engenders ("It relaxes me, makes me feel good"), some on the ritual or social elements ("I like relaxing at home over a drink" or "I like getting together with my mates and downing a few at the pub"). This straightforward approach of asking drinkers about their current motivations for and experiences of drinking is represented in expectancy research (Goldman et al., 1987; Leigh, 1999), including especially younger drinkers (Foxcroft & Lowe, 1991). Most people who consume alcohol indicate that they anticipate a positive change in experience from drinking, although this means different things for different groups.

Pleasure Plays a Role in Both Ordinary and Problematic Drinking

Cahalan (1970) divided drinkers into those who have never experienced problems from drinking, those who experienced such problems in the past but not at present, and those who experience substantial drinking problems currently. For all groups among both genders, pleasure (feeling happy and cheerful) remained the single most common drinking experience. More problem drinkers gave pleasure as a response to questions about drinking experiences, but they gave higher rates of response to every type of drinking experience and consequence. This may be because they drink more and have more of all such experiences. At the same time, pleasure may motivate both normal, social drinking and problematic drinking, but heavy or problem drinkers may define pleasure differently (Critchlow, 1986; Marlatt, 1999). Younger drinkers more often drink for effect than for ritual pleasure (Foxcroft & Lowe, 1991), although all drinkers emphasize the socially pleasurable functions of drinking (Lowe, 1999).

Issues to be Engaged

1. Is pleasure a useful concept for explaining alcohol consumption?
2. What distinguishes pleasure as a healthful or harmful motivation in drinking behavior?
3. Can the concept of pleasure be used to encourage healthy drinking?