Alcohol and moral regulation: Public Attitudes, Spirited Measures and Victorian Hangovers - Hardcover

"A provocative analysis of the interrelated moral and legal frameworks through which alcohol consumption has been regulated in Britain since the 18th century." British Journal of Criminology "Yeomans' thought-provoking book explores how laws and beliefs regarding alcohol evolved in Britain. The historical analysis is useful for contextualizing present-day debates about alcohol-related issues." -Tiffany Bergin, Kent State University, USA "An enjoyable book [that] offers an important perspective on Britain's historical relationship with alcohol." Law Crime and History "This is a significant and original work which synthesises a comprehensive grasp of the legal history of alcohol in England with a sensitive application of the relatively new conceptual framework of moral regulation and thus reshapes our understanding of the complex of factors shaping past and present control of alcohol consumption." Professor Charles Critcher, Sheffield Hallam University "This engaging text is a `must-read' for anyone interested in moral panics, and should be read widely by anyone interested more broadly in the medicalisation of society and its problems, or in the practice of `legislating for one's own good'. It is an important and timely study, and should be widely read." Dr Judith Rowbotham, Director, SOLON, and Associate Research Fellow, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London

Alcohol consumption is frequently described as a contemporary, worsening and peculiarly British social problem that requires radical remedial regulation. Informed by historical research and sociological analysis, this book takes an innovative and refreshing look at how public attitudes and the regulation of alcohol have developed through time. It argues that, rather than a response to trends in consumption or harm, ongoing anxieties about alcohol are best understood as `hangovers' derived, in particular, from the Victorian period. The product of several years of research, this book aims to help readers re-evaluate their understandings of drinking. As such, it is essential reading for students, academics and anyone with a serious interest in Britain's `drink problem'.