J. Waterson 
Women and Alcohol in Social Context [PDF ebook] 
Mother’s Ruin Revisited

Drinking alcohol can be immensely pleasurable and life-enhancing. On the other hand, it can be associated with danger and risk. This book explores some of the implications of this dichotomy, which creates many policy and practice dilemmas, by a detailed exploration of the place of drinking in women’s lives. Interviews and case-studies show women’s drinking practices to be constructive and autonomous responses to the social and material contexts of their lives.