Alcoholism: What You Need to Know

Introduction

From the years of 1919 to 1933 the United States used the 18th amendment to regulate alcoholic beverages. The 18th amendment prohibited “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors in the United States.” During this time period of no alcohol, known as prohibition, alcohol use ratings went up in the United States. The intention of the United States government was to decrease the use of alcohol and stop the affects it had on the public. Unknowingly though they had created a need for alcohol so much that anyone would make it or buy it for any price. Speakeasies, illegal bars or taverns that severed alcohol, began to spring up all around the nation. Everyone knew that they were there, including police and politicians. The owners of the speakeasies paid off anyone who threatened to expose them so that they could serve alcohol and continue to make money. Alcoholism may have derived from this time period, causing people to spend most of their money on something that was supposed to be taboo. 

In the world today, alcoholism is now viewed as a disorder that can be treated with therapy or possibly hospital care. The people that are least expected to be alcoholics turn out to be them. Many people do not understand what causes alcoholism or how it can affect any person that comes in contact with an alcoholic. Studies completed by physicians and other persons interested in alcoholism have proven that not only does alcoholism affect the alcoholic, but anyone around them as well.

What is Alcoholism?