From the Pilgrims’ arrival at Plymouth Rock to the rise of the pandemic “quarantini,” alcohol has been a foundation of American society and culture. The Atlantic's Kate Julian explores how this tool for cohesion and cooperation eventually became a means of coping, and what history can teach us about improving our drinking habits. 

This conversation originally ran on the podcast Today, Explained, hosted by Sean Rameswaram. 

Further reading: America Has a Drinking Problem

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