America is made of so many subcultures. People find theirs and that's their world. The author is in a set that drinks a lot. Most Americans do not. I think overall America is much more "prudish" than other countries, despite what movies and the news may lead us to believe. At the same time we've basically been genetically selecting for extreme personalities. We're all either descendants of Native Americans or people who left their home and crossed half the world for a new life. If you become an alcoholic here, you really have a problem.

In the UK you can be an alcoholic for decades and still hold down a respectable job. Nobody bats an eye at a few drinks at lunch. I remember feeling so weird the first time I was at a formal event in the UK for a lunch at noon where wine was being served. First time in my life I had felt buzzed and the sun was out and hot. I did not like it at all. But I imagine, with the frequency of these events in academic settings, that half the academics in the more prestigious universities are functioning alcoholics. Many students and young professionals in UK/Europe make it a point to go out and get wasted as much as possible. That happens in the US too, but it seems to be looked down upon more? I think the idea that drinking is more under control in Europe would fade pretty quickly if all alcohol was temporarily banned there for a week.