This dissertation research project in cultural anthropology will study the cultural meanings of heavy public drinking among fishermen in Kodiak, Alaska. The cultural pressures to drink will be examined by interviewing and observing captains and crewmen in three fisheries. The importance of status, and of the differing constraints imposed by the different fishery regimes, will be analyzed. Fishermen who have stopped drinking, through membership in alcoholics anonymous, will be interviewed to assess their reaction to the cultural norm which facilitates heavy drinking among fishermen. This research is important because substance abuse is one of the major problems in the world, and is especially pronounced among Native Americans. This project should provide insight into the cultural norms governing heavy drinking, and the means people use to control the need to drink.
