title: Attitudes towards alcohol use among Bulgarians-Christians and Turks-Muslims.
abstract: The attitude towards drinking in a given culture plays a very important role in the use and abuse of alcoholic beverages. The purpose of our study was to examine and compare this attitude among the Bulgarians-Christians and Turks-Muslims in Bulgaria. The sample comprised 618 subjects--316 Bulgarians-Christians and 302 Turks-Muslims, selected by means of a randomized cluster design. The sample was stratified by ethnic identity, gender, age and place of residence (town vs. village). This methodology provided us with a way of controlling these confounding variables. The survey was conducted with a standardized questionnaire designed specifically for the study. The findings show that a greater percentage of Turks-Muslim than of Bulgarians-Christians (including those respondents who regularly use alcohol) are in favour of an official prohibition of alcohol in society and even moderate use on special occasions is inadmissible to them. Women, rural residents, people with lower educational status, senior citizens and those to whom religion plays an important part in their lives predominate in the social structure of the Turkish sub-sample favouring official prohibition. Their cultural readiness to say "No" to alcohol is viewed in the context of the abstinent Islamic culture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Medical University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Akabaliev
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dimitrov
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002031:Bulgaria; D002835:Christianity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007514:Islam; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014421:Turkey / Q000208:ethnology