Editors: Anne Fox and Mike MacAvoy 
Contributing authors
Publisher:
Routledge
July 2010
Hardcover, 192 pages
ISBN: 978-0-415-99213-8
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About the book:
The goal of Expressions of Drunkenness (Four Hundred Rabbits) is to contribute to ongoing scholarly discussion on the very serious topic of drunkenness. The phrase “four hundred rabbits” is one of many illustrations of the deep cultural, religious, and social influences on how individuals and communities view alcohol intoxication: The Aztecs believed alcohol to have a divine origin, with a god and a goddess giving birth to 400 (meaning “innumerable” in ancient Aztec) divine children or “rabbit gods,” each representing a varying degree and expression of alcohol intoxication and drunkenness. Hence the book’s subtitle, which at first glance might seem light-hearted but in fact represents an in-depth look at a weighty topic.With such rooted sociocultural factors in mind, the International Center for Alcohol Policies and DrinkWise Australia collaborated to prepare this book to advance current understanding of the individual and collective meanings, purposes, and functions of drunkenness. As the authors explain, interpretations by different disciplines of the terms “intoxication” and “drunkenness” are often inconsistent. The chapters of this book address intoxication and drunkenness from three perspectives: biological, cultural, and social. By placing intoxication and drunkenness into these contexts, the book is able to offer language and conceptual tools to help further the ongoing discussion on how best to reduce alcohol-related harm and encourage responsible enjoyment of beverage alcohol. Expressions of Drunkenness (Four Hundred Rabbits) is the tenth volume in the ICAP Book Series on Alcohol in Society.
Table of contents:
Chapter 1. Voices in the Debate by Marcus Grant and Mike MacAvoy
Chapter 2: The Biology of Intoxication by Creina Stockley and John B. Saunders
- Case Study 2.1. Legal Response to Intoxication and Drunkenness by Hurst Hannum
Chapter 3: The Origins of Drunkenness by Anne Fox
- Case Study 3.1. The Round: Alcohol and Social Connection—an Anthropological Approach by Véronique Nahoum-Grappe
- Case Study 3.2. Indigenous Australians and Alcohol by Creina Stockley and Anne Fox
Chapter 4: Drunkenness, a Historical and Contemporary Cross-cultural Perspective: “A Voluntary Madness” by Fiona Measham
- Case Study 4.1. A Peculiarly Australian Phenomenon: The Six O’clock Swill by Billie Atanasova
Chapter 5: Drinking Contexts and Youth Drunkenness by Betsy Thom, with contributions from Irmgard Eisenbach-Stangl
- Case Study 5.1. Drunkenness on the U.K. Political Agenda by Jean Coussins
Concluding Remarks by Trish Worth
About the editors:
Anne Fox is an anthropologist and an expert in drug and alcohol issues. She is the founder of Galahad SMS Ltd. (http://www.galahad.co.uk/), one of the United Kingdom’s leading substance-misuse research and education organizations. She consults on alcohol and drug cultures for the U.K. Ministry of Defence, advises the U.K. Parliament on alcohol and aggression, has undertaken research with the Home Office and the Youth Justice Board on the nature and prevalence of substance misuse among offenders aged under 18 years, and advises many organizations, including the beverage alcohol industry, on alcohol issues.
Prior to retirement, Mike MacAvoy was Chief Executive Officer at DrinkWise Australia (http://www.drinkwise.org.au/) and Chief Executive Officer of the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand, an organization with statutory roles of advising government on alcohol-related matters, promoting moderate drinking, and reducing alcohol-related harm. Dr. MacAvoy has held a number of government posts in Australia, serving, for example, as Director of the Drug and Alcohol Bureau, Northern Territory, and Director of the Drug and Alcohol Directorate, New South Wales Health; he also chaired the National Drug Strategy Committee.
Contributing authors