Anyone interested in assessing drinking practices and the epidemiology of drinking problems must take into account the values and attitudes prevailing among major subgroups in America, for such values and attitudes play a very large role in determining the direction and persistence of drinking behavior. As just one of many possible illustrations, Jews in America have a very high proportion of persons who drink at least a little but a very low proportion who get into trouble over their drinking, while the Irish-Americans have a lower proportion of drinkers but a fairly high proportion who get into trouble (Glad, 1947). Such subgroup differences in drinking practices seem to be due not so much to stress as to deep-seated cultural and environmental influences. Thus, the history and present state of American values and attitudes about drinking are not merely of antiquarian or humanistic interest, but are central to understanding the dynamics of American drinking behavior and current social and health problems related to alcohol.