Yeomans, H.Alcohol and Moral Regulation: Public Attitudes, Spirited Measures and Victorian Hangovers. Policy Press. 2014. 279 pp. $115.83 (CAD) (hardcover) ISBN 1447309936

Abstract

Once upon a time, alcohol use in Britain was construed by many as a destructive force that led to the disintegration of families, disarray in the workplace, unemployment and crime. To combat these issues, legal frameworks were enforced to regulate its use and create social order. Henry Yeomans provides a socio-historical analysis of Britain's relationship with alcohol and the public's attitude towards it in his book, Alcohol and moral regulation: Public attitudes, spirited measures and Victorian hangovers (2014). His book is a much-welcomed contribution to the fields of critical sociological theory, and media studies. For those unfamiliar with the differences in drinking cultures, values and attitudes in the West, Yeomans book provides a comprehensive account of the values ascribed to alcohol and particular drinking patterns in Britain, with frequent comparisons to other European nations. Employing a qualitative discursive methodology, Yeomans reports on a wide-ranging media analysis of popular print sources in Britain circa 18th century onwards. By tracing Britain's history with alcohol, Yeomans paints a vivid picture of the different ways in which alcohol, and its use has been vilified, moralised and regulated over the years. His analysis of alcohol's regulatory trajectory succinctly tracks the changes in values attached to alcohol use, and aptly shows the fluctuating relationship that exists between alcohol and the British people. One of Yeomans central arguments concerns contemporary attitudes about alcohol use. He argues that modern day angst about alcohol use, and drinking patterns more generally is not new to British society, but in fact is a ‘hangover’ from the Victorian era, more specifically, the temperance movement. Similarly, Yeomans asserts that contemporary measures of drinking regulation in England and Wales have their roots in 18th century regulatory practices. His analysis provides a complex dissection of the socio-political, economic and gendered contexts in which alcohol's regulatory practices were birthed and have since thrived. Yeomans’ central arguments are situated around the term moral regulation, a concept he thoroughly dissects in Chapter 1 of the book. Other key concepts that are theoretically untangled in this chapter include terms such morality, and moral panic. Alcohol and moral regulation contains eight chapters, each capturing specific time periods and their associated regulatory frameworks. In the first half of the book (Chapters 2–4), Yeomans continues to tease apart what he means by the term ‘moral regulation’ and situates its place within 18th and 19th century regulatory practices and developments. The second half of the book (Chapters 5–8) examines the regulatory practices during the First and Second World War, and notably, the decline of the temperance movement. They also examine the impact of age and gender as contributors to the ‘drink problem.’ These later chapters show that despite attempts to deregulate and liberalise alcohol, strict regulations were imposed that targeted the drinking patterns and behaviours of particular groups. Alcohol and moral regulation dramatises the landscape for readers and paints a very vivid picture of key historical moments in the construction of Britain's ‘drink problem’. Drawing on a rich tradition of thought in moral psychology, and philosophy, Yeomans mobilises the concept of moral regulation to showcase the moral policing of the use of alcohol. He provides readers with a compelling and conceptually astute reading of moral regulation and does an excellent job of calling attention to the alarmist frames used to report the ‘drink problem.’ In his historical account, Yeomans teases apart the actual threat posed by alcohol consumption versus what has been portrayed to date, and the levels of public anxiety about it. His work provides deep background and encourages readers to reflect on and question dominant alarmist narratives perpetuated in the media. This book is an integral starting point for any reader interested in a critical analysis of British media portrayal of public attitudes towards alcohol. More specifically, it would appeal to an interdisciplinary audience (sociologists, media scholars, historians, legal scholars etc.) interested in a historical approach to alcohol studies.