Benjamin Rush, one of the leading physicians of the late 18th century, believed in moderation rather than prohibition. In his treatise “The Inquiry into the Effects of Ardent Spirits on the Human Body and Mind” (1784), Rush argued that excessive alcohol consumption was detrimental to physical and mental health, calling drunkenness a disease. [30] Apparently influenced by Rush`s widely debated beliefs, in 1789 about 200 farmers from a Connecticut community formed a temperance association. Similar associations were formed in Virginia in 1800 and New York in 1808. [31] Over the course of a decade, other abstinence groups formed in eight states, some of which were national organizations. The words of Rush and other early abstinence reformers served to dichotomize alcohol consumption for both men and women. While men loved to drink and often considered it vital to their health, women who began to adopt the ideology of “true motherhood” abstained from alcohol. As a result, middle-class women, who were considered the moral authorities of their households, refused to drink alcohol, which they saw as a threat to the home. [31] In 1830, Americans consumed an average of 1.7 high-percentage bottles per week, three times more than in 2010.
[20] Prohibition also referred to the part of the temperance movement that wanted to make alcohol illegal. These groups made many changes even before the national ban. By 1905, three U.S. states had banned alcohol; In 1912, there were as many as nine states; And by 1916, the legal ban was already in effect in 26 of the 48 states. Chicago became known as a haven for disobedience to prohibition during the Roaring Twenties. Many of Chicago`s most notorious gangsters, including Al Capone and his nemesis Bugs Moran, made millions of dollars from the illegal sale of alcohol. In general, informal social checks at home and in the community helped maintain the expectation that alcohol abuse was unacceptable. “Drunkenness was condemned and punished, but only as an abuse of a gift given by God. The drinking itself was not considered culprious, any more than the food deserved to be blamed for the sin of gluttony. Excess was a personal indiscretion.
[27] When informal controls failed, there were legal options. As saloons disappeared, public drinking lost much of its macho connotation, leading to increased social acceptance of women drinking in the semi-public setting of speakeasies. This new standard has established women as a remarkable new audience for alcohol marketers looking to expand their customer base. [115] As a result, women found themselves in the contraband business, with some discovering that they could make a living selling alcohol with minimal risk of suspicion from law enforcement. [157] Prior to prohibition, women who drank in public in saloons or taverns, especially outside urban centers like Chicago or New York, were considered immoral or likely to be prostitutes. [158] It is not clear whether prohibition reduced per capita alcohol consumption. Some historians argue that alcohol consumption in the United States did not exceed pre-prohibition levels until the 1960s; [121] Others claim that several years after its adoption, alcohol consumption reached pre-prohibition levels and continued to increase. [122] Cirrhosis of the liver, a symptom of alcoholism, decreased by nearly two-thirds during prohibition. [123] [124] In the decades following prohibition, all stigma associated with alcohol consumption was eliminated; According to a Gallup poll conducted almost every year since 1939, two-thirds of American adults aged 18 and older drink alcohol.
[125] Congress passed some of Wickersham`s recommendations in 1932, but drought in the House and Senate remained a powerful force. They blocked consideration of the committee`s opinion to send a revised 18th amendment to the states of the Constitution. The drought has also hampered proposals to legalize and tax beer with 2.75% alcohol. But many of those who found themselves dry would suffer a setback in the next election. According to Washington State University, prohibition has had a negative impact on the U.S. economy. Prohibition has resulted in the loss of at least $226 million per year in tax revenue for spirits alone; Supporters of the ban expected an increase in soft drink sales to replace money from alcohol sales, but that didn`t happen. In addition, “prohibition resulted in the closure of more than 200 distilleries, a thousand breweries and more than 170,000 liquor stores.” .