400 Years of Drinking in America

De: Susan Cheever, The Great Courses

Narrado por: Susan Cheever

America’s relationship with alcohol is a fraught and inconsistent one. While many other nations and cultures have stable attitudes toward drinking, the American perspective on alcohol has been volatile, vacillating wildly from the gallon-a-day beer rations on the Mayflower to nationwide prohibition and back again. Why are Americans so ambivalent about alcohol? What can we learn about the past and the American character through these extreme fluctuations between alcoholism and sobriety across the centuries?

Join author Susan Cheever to explore 400 Years of Drinking in America. Across six lectures, Susan will trace the ever-changing attitudes toward alcohol in the United States, beginning with the colonists and tracing the patterns of habits and opinions to the rise of a thriving rehab industry in the 21st century. As you explore the ebb and flow of drinking in America, you’ll revisit moments that were deeply impacted by our complex relationship with alcohol.

The Pilgrims embraced beer while the Puritans wrestled with the sin of excessive drinking. The major wars fought on American soil were sometimes fueled as much by alcohol as by patriotism. Prohibition produced a generation of famously drunken writers and artists. From “the drunkest country in the world” to Alcoholics Anonymous, you’ll see what America’s love-hate relationship with booze can tell us about the growing pains of a young nation and the complexities of a diverse and ever-changing society.

©2025 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2025 Audible Originals, LLC.

Surprising Information

Well paced presentation. Up to date facts and logical analysis. Well researched and beautifully presented.

Hemingway drank mojitos? WTH?

It’s a good take on alcoholism and its effect on literature.
Unfortunately I can relate to being an alcoholic. This is good. One correction I must submit is that Bill Wilson and Bob Smith, MD started AA.

Loved it!

What a great lesson didn’t expect it to be that good and for somebody who is newly sober it was awesome just to see how alcohol has been in our lives creating havoc for 400 hundred years

Did not expect a long Newsweek /Time magazine article

The first 1 1/2 chapters are not too bad but after that, the entertainment decreases and the sermonizing dramatically increases. The narration is flat and further detracts from the narrative

Now We Know Why

I enjoyed this so much because It’s well researched Ed and you can see how many historians didn’t even factor this in and chose to create a narrative around here with him and bravery but the reality is much of it is fuelled by booze. I found this thoroughly entertaining and informative and it shows that what people do today that’s ridiculous they’ve been doing for centuries.

Interesting review of drinking in America

I enjoyed this (mostly) judgment-free review of alcohol use and attitudes in American history.

A little preachy

The book started well talking about history primarily which I enjoyed but it became an "evils of drink" lecture almost in the last few chapters.

Informative but Dull

This book kept me from drinking by putting me to sleep. I expected better from an Author. Very dry, no wit, excitement or pleasure.

Could have been interesting

The lecturer delivered her words in a near monotone, making it difficult to follow. This is probably why I was 2/3 through the book before I noticed her seeming anti-alcohol bias, calling pre-prohibition America a “nation of drunks,” praising anyone who spoke against drinking and elsewhere conflating drinking alcohol and alcoholism.

I usually enjoy The Great Courses, but this one was a waste of time.

Reasonably interesting

I enjoyed the author’s somewhat novel perspective on the role of drinking in American history.