Alcohol has widely been used in America since its creation and arrived well before the 20th century. In the early 1800’s there was a big push to limit the consumption of alcohol called the temperance movement. Many states in the Union were dealing with issues that stemmed from the overuse of alcohol, so they established laws to help curb the consumption. Massachusetts was the first state to pass a law in 1838, which banned the sale of alcohol in quantities less than 15 gallons. To follow Massachusetts, Maine was the first state to pass any form of Prohibition law, which was in 1846. Then by the beginning of the 1900’s, temperance societies were the norm across America, due in large part to women. Some of the strongest activists in the …show more content…
To begin, the physical damage alcoholism can have is astonishing. The central nervous system is the first to be damaged and the first sign is slurred speech. Alcohol inhibits the brain to communicate with the body and makes balancing, coordination, and speaking more difficult. After slurred speech, comes numbness in certain extremities as well as the ability for rational thought. Ultimately, short-term memory loss or brain damage can result if continued overdrinking occurs. After the effects on the nervous system, alcohol starts to damage the body’s digestive system. The digestive enzymes within your pancreas build up which causes digestive issues with and end state of pancreatitis. Diarrhea and bloating are also common side effects of heavy drinking and people often develop ulcers or hemorrhoids. To add to the digestive system, alcohol can also cause severe damage to the circulatory system. “More than two drinks a day can increase your change of developing high blood pressure.” (Sutton, 2007) This high blood pressure can cause irregular heartbeats, difficulty with the flow of blood through the circulatory system, and can ultimately cause a heart attack or heart failure. The liver is next to be severely impacted by alcohol. The liver is fundamental to the process of maintaining a healthy system. “The liver stores vital energy and nutrients, manufactures proteins and enzymes necessary for good health, protects the body from disease, and breaks down and helps remove harmful toxins, like alcohol, from the body.” (Sutton, 2007) If the liver becomes damaged, the person will develop muscle cramps, fatigue, jaundice, and even reduced brain function due to unfiltered toxins in the blood stream. In the most serious
4) The general effects of alcohol on the brain are blurred vision, weakened motor skills, blurred vision, slurred speech, slowed reaction times and impaired memory. In the liver alcohol causes fat deposits to develop in the liver and cause inflammation even eventually liver disease. Similarly, in the pancreas prolonged use can cause inflammation which yields vomiting, fever, weight loss, and is potentially fatal. Lastly, in the kidneys alcohol can increase the risk of high blood pressure developing in chronic kidney disease.
Prohibition was introduced to all American states apart from Maryland in 1920. Prohibition was the banning of alcohol; you could be arrested for sale, manufacture and transportation of alcohol. There were many factors that influenced the introduction of prohibition. One of the main factors was the temperance movement’s two examples of this
“America had been awash in drink almost from the start – wading hip-deep in it, swimming in it, and at various times in its history nearly drowning in it.” 1 This quote proves to be correct, embodying American history beginning with the earliest American settlers to the present day. Keeping this fact in mind, how did the Temperance Movement gain enough strength to legally ban the manufacturing, selling, and transportation of alcohol in 1920? Through the determination and stamina of a multitude of factions throughout America from the early to mid 19th century, into the Progressive Era, federal legislation in the form of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America was passed. Beginning in the mid-1800s and
“By 1830, the average American over 15 years old consumed nearly seven gallons of pure alcohol a year – three times as much as we drink today” (PBS, nd). The result was the temperance movement. The Temperance movement was an anti-movement that swept across the country in the 1830s and 40s. The abolitionists tried to show that drinking alcohol was a sin and that the country needed to be cleansed. They called for a prohibition of alcohol. On January 17th, 1920, an amendment to the constitution was passed that banned the making, transporting, and selling of alcohol and other intoxicating beverages.
The desire to control alcohol consumption, or advocate temperance, has been a goal of humanity throughout countless periods of history. Many countries have had organized temperance movements, including Australia, Canada, Britain, Denmark, Poland, and of course, the United States. The American temperance movement was the most widespread reform movement of the 19th century, culminating in laws that completely banned the sale of all alcoholic beverages. The movement progressed from its humble local roots to nationwide organizations with millions of members and large amounts of political power. The growth of the temperance movement resulted from the changes in society between the original American settlers and the post-Revolutionary War
The desire to control alcohol consumption, or advocate temperance, has been a goal of humanity throughout countless periods of history. Many countries have had organized temperance movements, including Australia, Canada, Britain, Denmark, Poland, and of course, the United States. The American temperance movement was the most widespread reform movement of the 19th century, culminating in laws that completely banned the sale of all alcoholic beverages. The movement progressed from its humble local roots to nationwide organizations with millions of members and large amounts of political power. The growth of the temperance movement resulted from the changes in society between the original American settlers and the post-Revolutionary War
The pathophysiology of Alcohol affects virtually every organ system in the body. Therefore, consuming to much alcohol in high
In early America drinking alcohol was as common as eating. The water was not always clean and pure so people drank alcohol instead to be sure they wouldn’t catch any illnesses running through the water. This was until physicians realized how dangerous alcohol was and writers started to advertise alcohol as a poison. The next thing you know there are people against alcohol and many communities were being divided into people who drink and the people who don’t drink. This is when The Temperance movement began, which was a movement that wanted to either control the distribution and consumption of alcohol, or completely end the ability to drink alcohol. Due to society’s severe health problems, destitution, and crime in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century, women blamed the abuse of alcohol and started The Temperance Movement.
Alcoholism affects vital organs in the human body such as the liver, the heart and the brain. The liver is affected by alcohol after years of
Prohibition had been tried from a lot of time as temperance movements, the movements that tried to stop the alcohol consumption started in the latest 1700’s. The first group that wanted temperance was made by a group of Litchfield, Connecticut in 1789. Evangelical Protestants mainly formed these groups; however, they wanted moderation for preventing drunkenness. The ones who were most affected by
Drinking messes with the brain’s communication pathways, it can affect the way the brain looks and the way it works. These side effects can change the mood and behavior, and make it harder to process things and operate the right way with coordination. The heart is affected when you drink a lot over a long period of time and it can damage the heart causing problems including, stretching and drooping of the heart, irregular heartbeat, stroke, and high blood pressure. The liver can also be damaged because drinking is major on the liver, it can lead to a variety of problems such as liver swelling, fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and other major diseases.
Effects of alcohol include difficulties making desicoions, and a slow reaction time. However, this is just a portion of the dangerous things alcohol can do to you. Alcohol also affects your liver, nervous system and heart - this happens when ethanol enters your bloodstream. When ethanol enters your bloodstream, it slows you down - increasing your risk of accidents, attacking others - and even pregnancy as you may make extremely unsafe decisions.
The physical effects of alcoholism are somewhat gruesome. Excessive in take and prolonged use of alcohol can cause serious disturbances in body chemistry
While drinking might make you feel good now, if you abuse that alcohol it may lead to serious complications later. Heavy drinking is defined as consuming four or more drinks in a day for women and five or more drinks in a day for men (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010). Alcohol is considered a depressant, so it is only seen fit that one of the chief effects of alcohol on the brain is to depress central nervous system functioning. In turn it may be why major depressive disorders occur in those who abuse alcohol. If the alcohol abuse continues over a period it intensifies into an alcohol dependency. Alcohol has effects on the body both mentally and physically. After a certain limit alcohol will slur your speech, increase your reaction time, and make you lose co-ordination. Alcohol consumption, particularly long-term alcohol dependence has many physiological ricks to consider, such as permanent damage to the brain, alcoholic liver disease, pancreatitis, alcohol poisoning
Alcohol has no beneficial attributes on a person’s health. Alcohol can have several harmful effects on human organs. Some organs in the human body that are damaged by alcohol consumption are the brain, kidneys, and liver. The human liver is the one organ that suffers the most damage. As stated in an article published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “Because the liver is the chief organ responsible for metabolizing alcohol, it is especially vulnerable to alcohol – related injury” (NIAAA, 2005). Regular use of alcohol can lead to alcoholic liver disease (ALD). The severity of ALD can vary based on several different factors. Some of these factors include gender, age, the amount consumed, and how often alcohol is used. “ALD includes three conditions: fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis” (Alcohol Alert, 2005).