Social occasions and the perceived appropriateness of consuming different alcoholic beverages

Based on a national probability sample of 2,401 Americans aged 21 and over (1,069 of whom were deemed "drinkers" on the basis of having drunk at least one alcoholic beverage within the previous 7 days), this study looks at differences in the perceived situational appropriateness of drinking beer, distilled spirits, wine and wine coolers in each of six social occasions. It was found that wine is usually deemed appropriate in integrative, social enjoyment-enhancing situations. Beer use tends to be viewed ambivalently, with a sort of "cross-situational neutrality"; its use is neither strongly condoned nor strongly condemned in any of the six social contexts under study. People's attitudes toward the use of distilled spirits are best described as allowing for a "cautious indulgence" in this beverage. The respondents tend to favor drinking distilled spirits during integrative social occasions, feel ambivalently toward drinking in social contexts that are simultaneously integrative and disintegrative and disfavor drinking during disintegrative and anxiety-reductive social occasions. Wine cooler use is viewed inconsistently, perhaps with a tendency toward being seen as appropriate for consumption during integrative social occasions that involve having a good time. Sex, income and marital status differences were found to be minimal. Age, though, was found to be a discerning variable in many of these relationships, such that people aged 65 or older were less likely than their younger counterparts to endorse drinking in all of the social contexts under study, except for drinking as a perfect complement to a nice dinner.