ALCOHOL EDUCATION VIA AMERICAN LITERATURE

A considerable number of literary works portray drinking and alcoholis m, yet they do not seem to have been used in any focused way for alcoh ol education. Until virtually the start of our own century, the prevai ling note in such works was one of ecstasy at the release which drink was perceived as providing. In the work of 20th century American write rs like Fitzgerald, Cheever, O'Neill, and Berryman, however, a strong and unequivocal cautionary note calls attention to the disasters wroug ht by excessive drinking. These vivid depictions in modern fiction, po etry, and drama create a viable alternative for alcohol education. The authors of this article have organized two courses on this basis and discuss a number of works that effectively illustrate the negative con sequences of alcohol abuse and addiction.