Studies of Drinking in Jewish Culture; IV. Culture and Sobriety. A Study of Drinking Patterns and Sociocultural Factors Related to Sobriety Among Jews. Chapter 2. Ceremonial Orthodoxy and Jewish Sobriety
The second in a series of articles dealing with the notable absence of drinking pathologies among the Jews, this paper presents evidence that sobriety is most characteristic of the ceremonially Orthodox. As ritual observance declines, as nominal religious affiliation changes from Orthodox to Conservative to Reform and Secular, intoxication increases systematically and significantly. Among less religiously Orthodox Jewish College students patterns of intoxication are seen to converge with those of students of Irish Catholic and British Protestant background. For the Orthodox and to a lesser extent the Conservative Jews, frequencies of intoxication do not vary directly with frequencies of drinking. But among the Reform and Secular, as among the Irish Catholics and British Protestants, intoxication tends to increase as frequencies of drinking increase. These findings contradict assertions that sobriety is typical of Jews in general and support the view that uniformly temperate drinking is related to adherence to the traditional religion in which drinking is extensively integrated. Apparently, also, participation in Orthodox Jewish religious activities is more conducive to sobriety than participation in Catholic religious activities; and actual participation appears to be more effective than mere nominal membership. The data indicate that Orthodox Judaism, as a normative or cultural system has a distinctly sobering influence on its members. But this effect may depend in the long run upon the continuing participation of Jews in the ceremonial and ritual activities of the traditional religious community.