Abstinence By Juramentos
Long before Dry January became a thing, Mexicans were using a similar program of temporary abstinence based on a pledge to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Bourbon Country
Examining the ingredients—time, grain, government regulations—that have made bourbon an enduring national favorite.
Sobriety is Next to Godliness
Teetotalers in the early British temperance movement signed temperance pledges like those in The Livesey Collection on JSTOR.
Drunk as a Lord? OK, if You’re a Lord
Where does class-based hypocrisy over substance use come from? Look to the seventeenth century.
Is It Really Carnival if You’re Not Drunk?
Carnival is known for overturning the rules of society for a short time. But strangely, many scholars don't discuss what a big role alcohol plays in it.
The Politics of Drinking in Revolutionary Russia
To leaders, the ideal Soviet worker should be sober. Actual workers had other thoughts.
Plant of the Month: Agave
The international popularity of tequila threatens the quantity, health, and biodiversity of all species of agave.
Sour Grapes: The Pisco War
Peru and Chile both produce the grape brandy called pisco, and they both consider it their national drink.
Science Says: Alcohol Can Make You More Social
It might not sound like a shocking conclusion, but there was surprisingly little research on the question.
The Old New Trend of Sober Curiosity
Abstaining from alcohol is a new trend with a long, long history.