Smashed!: The Many Meanings of Intoxication and Drunkenness

Everyone is aware of intoxication and drunkenness - what they look like, how to define and measure them, and what their consequences are. A whole variety of concerns - about young people, public health, road safety, sexual assault, and violence - are connected to these taken-for-granted understandings of intoxication and drunkenness. Drawing on an extensive review of research from biomedicine, psychology, sociology, legal studies, and news media reporting, Smashed! reveals a far more complex picture. This is a picture marked by little agreement on how to define intoxication and drunkenness, how to measure intoxication, what getting drunk means to those who drink (young people, men, women, and individuals from different cultural and national backgrounds). The book also examines the individual, social, medical, and legal consequences of intoxication and drunkenness. Smashed! presents an overview of the history of these concerns and an extensive account of the many meanings of intoxication and drunkenness at the start of the 21st century. It provides a valuable resource for researchers, policy makers, the media, and members of the community who are involved in these ongoing, often emotive, debates.