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Introduction
Alcohol consumption, whether in the Caribbean or global level has for a long time been a matter of concern due to its medically proven correlation to a long list of health issues that include, comorbid ailments, disruptive and lawless behavior, and even death. However, despite these concerns, alcohol beverages are often considered culturally significant (1) and invariably express a country's national identity. For example, Tequila in Mexico (2). Many Caribbean professionals have taken a one-dimensional approach to alcohol consumption while ignoring its sociocultural benefits. These benefits can be observed in much fruitful, thought-provoking discussions and debates about national, regional and international issues ranging from politics, economics, to sports, global warming among others. These debates are held at "rum shops" or social events where people gather to engage in social drinking. It is at these forums that the people display their creativity by reciting poems and verses that often form the lyrics for calypsos. Social drinking may facilitate this form of creativity although it may not be a necessary condition. What is certain is that social drinking among adults in and of itself has been observed to enhance comradery, elicit spontaneous conversations and facilitate a mood of ease and togetherness among its partakers. However, the problem associated with social drinking emerges when people gather for the sole purpose of abusing alcohol to the point of addiction. This is a serious problem the Caribbean is likely to encounter. Consider, for example, the WHO report that global alcohol consumption in 2010 was about 6.2 liters per capita, and in 2014, one of the Caribbean Islands, Grenada, consumed 12.5 liters per capita-the highest rate of alcohol consumption in the Caribbean. Compared to an average of 8.67 liters; 6.28 liters in Trinidad and Tobago and 5.44 liters in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (3).
Social history
Analysis of alcohol use in the Caribbean must take into consideration the social history of sugarcane production and its by-products. Molasses, a by-product of the sugar refining process, was initially discarded until a Celtic worker in Barbados realized that molasses could be fermented and distilled into an alcoholic spirit (4). Until the mid-17th century, it was simply discarded into the ocean. In 1652, Barbados workers were transforming molasses and making it into a...