Rethinking Drinking: America’s Evolving Relationship with Alcohol

Alcohol is a deeply embedded part of American life—woven into celebrations, identity, and social norms. But from health warnings to sober-curious trends, new questions are surfacing about what we drink, how much, and why. In this episode of Top of Mind, we explore how cultural attitudes toward alcohol have evolved and why more people today are rethinking what it means to drink responsibly. We also look at the science behind alcohol’s health impacts and the history of how it became so normalized in the first place. What do these shifting perspectives mean for the future of drinking in America? Guests: Sarah Levy, author of Drinking Games (https://www.sarahllevy.com/) Lisa Jacobson, history professor at UC Santa Barbara and author of Intoxicating Pleasures: The Reinvention of Wine, Beer, and Whiskey after Prohibition (https://www.ucpress.edu/books/intoxicating-pleasures/paper) Dr. Tim Naimi, physician and director of the University of Victoria’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (https://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/cisur/about/scientists/profiles/naimi-tim.php) CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 00:56 Sarah Levy's Alcohol Story 02:38 The Cultural Shift in Alcohol Consumption 08:54 The Decision to Quit and Finding Support 14:42 Prohibition and Its Aftermath 27:14 Distilled Spirits During Wartime 28:42 Whiskey's Cultural Transformation Post-WWII 31:36 The Rise of Responsible Drinking Campaigns 33:58 Modern Perspectives on Alcohol and Health 36:01 The Science Behind Alcohol Consumption