Sociologists who researched the topic of alcoholism found that this behavior is strongly influenced by social, cultural, and socio-psychological factors. These factors can explain several aspects of drinking alcohol: when people drink, why people drink, how they behave when they drink, and the differences in drinking patterns on social and individual levels. 

American sociologist Robert Park, in his book The City (1925), sees urban life as a cause of the rise in alcoholism. He states that city life leads to the breakdown of the traditional way of life, close neighborly relations are lost, and people live in anonymity. The anonymity and intensity of city life, and especially the focus on work, earning money, and economic relations, has a devastating effect on the form and function of the church, school, and family institutions. Traditional forms of social control are losing their significance, especially in the communities of newly arrived immigrants. Changes in the economic, moral, and interpersonal relations in the city have led to the emergence of many social, moral, and mental disorders. The most significant negative consequences of the urban environment are: crime, alcoholism, homelessness, juvenile delinquency, etc.

Books:

Akers, Ronald. Drugs, Alcohol, and Society (1992);

Denzin. The Alcoholic Self (1993);

Greenfeld, L. A. Alcohol and Crime: An Analysis of National Data on the Prevalence of Alcohol Involvement in Crime (1998);

Park: The City: Suggestions for the Study of Human Nature in the Urban Environment (1925).