How was alcohol part of our American culture?

Briefly describe the origins-where did alcohol originally come from? What are previous patterns of alcohol use in the USA? How much and how long has alcohol been used here? How was alcohol part of our American culture? Describe Prohibition; how long did it last, what happened to alcohol use, what other problems arose, what did we learn from this? How did drinking patterns change when prohibition was removed? What are some current laws, regulations and cultural norms about drinking in the USA?