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Unlike other drugs, alcohol is a substance that is present in the culture of many people, being, in the most cases, a drug accepted by the society. As a “social drug”, the alcohol facilitates communication by diminishing certain psychological barriers creating good mood and even having, consumed in moderate quantities, qualities of a good nourishment recommended by nutritionists.
Though, we need to make a distinction between the alcohol use and abuse; in large quantities the alcohol creates addiction, reduces the control over the body and favours aggressive behaviour, violence, etc. The negative effects of alcohol abuse are often the origin of car crashes, physical aggressiveness of different types, rapes, and unprotected sexual relations. (Macionis, 2005) and lead to measures of interdiction of alcohol consumerism in different countries and times in history. The most known examples of prohibition were the cut of grapevines, mentioned by Strabon referring at the time of Burebista’s reign in Dacia (1st century BC) and the 1920-1933 time when the United Stated forbid the production and sale of alcoholic drinks.
Keywords: social drug, alcohol use and abuse, aggressive behaviour, violence
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