Temperance Movements and violence
There is nothing in the world worse than drunkenness. No evil, no misfortune, can be compared with it. Fire, famine, flood, do not produce such devastating consequences as does drunkenness. The destruction of family, incurable disease, terrible crimes, premature death--all crimes come from drunkenness" |
At the beginning of the 20th century, Russian popular sentiment was leaning in the direction of temperance. The autocratic state had a monopoly on all alcohol sales, and many were seriously questioning the impact that drinking had on society. If Russia had a problem, there were people who were blaming it on alcohol. Participation in temperance groups was leading many people to question the tsar, whose government was distributing all of the alcohol. These attitudes led the ill-fated Nicholas II to place a ban on alcohol in 1914. This ban led to a dramatic increase in illegal distilling—and therefore death. It also meant that a great deal of grain that was meant for food in local areas was being used to distill vodka instead.[1] Three years later, in 1917, the old Russian tsarist government was ripped apart in a violent revolution. It would be too strong a claim to suggest that prohibition of vodka caused the Russian Revolution—there were many factors at play-- including World War I, a harsh winter (even by Russian standards), and the spread of new philosophies among the common people. However, it is safe to say that the Russian Government’s monopoly on alcohol sales, and the subsequent prohibition played a factor.
Apparently unconcerned by the violent revolution that had followed, many people in the United States approved of Russian prohibition and wanted to see a similar law go into place in the US. In 1918, the United States passed the 18th amendment, banning all sale of alcohol over 2.5%. Coincidentally, this led to a violent era in the U.S as well, when bootlegging and sale of illegal alcohol incited a great deal of gang activity in the cities, especially Chicago. Prohibition is another example of how alcohol led to the spread of political change—and in this case, violence.[2] |
Aren't you a little young to be shmacked?:Underage drinking
Russian temperance advocates are not the only ones who have struggled with the overuse and abuse of alcohol. “Young people use alcohol more than any other drug.” Alcohol is the most commonly abused substance among underage people in the US, causing symptoms from recklessness to overconfidence—in other words, being drunk. Underage drinking is also inextricably linked to illegal activity, because it leads to bad decision making, safety issues, and accidents. (For more information on the health related aspects of drinking, click here!) Furthermore, it is well established that drinkers under the age of 25 experience brain damaging effects far greater than those observed in older drinkers. This issue is complicated, however, by other factors [2]. First, it is extraordinarily difficult to effectively control underage drinking from a policy perspective and from a policing standpoint. Policies such as the drinking age and other laws make underage drinking illegal, but the consequences aren’t exactly strong enough to deter people. An MIP in Michigan means a small fine, and a few months’ probation at worst, and the consequences can only become dire if you repeatedly get caught while on probation from a first offence. From a policing standpoint, things are difficult because minors tend to drink in private places, not in public—because it makes getting caught far less likely.
Linked to underage drinking is the problem of binge drinking, which is a phenomenon often seen on college campuses. As a freshmen in Mary Markley Residence Hall during the 2012-13 school year, I regularly saw the results of reckless drinking. People peed and vomited in hallways, bathrooms in the dorm and across campus were utterly, unspeakably trashed on pledge or football weekends, and on more than one occasion I watched people being taken to the hospital because they had poisoned themselves with alcohol. On night, I was forced to call an ambulance for a stranger who had been left alone and whose life was in danger. From my experience, many college students have no idea how to handle alcohol when they finally leave the watching eyes of their parents and enter the college sphere. In addition, there is a new trend called vodka eyeballing, which demonstrates irresponsible and uneducated use of vodka. When there are phenomenon such as this, it becomes difficult to trust young adults to make smart decisions regarding alcohol. This trend is regarded as an 'internet challenge', such as swallowing a whole teaspoon f cinnamon, or jumping into a freezing body of water during the winter[4]. During my interview with Angel Johnston, a longtime bartender, I was confronted with a controversial solution to this issue. Perhaps parents should take matters into their own hands and teach their children how to handle alcohol? If young people are not forced to wait until they turn 21, it’s possible that the novelty of drinking, and the tendency to over-drink, could be avoided. Angel also told me that vodka is a highly popular drink for shots and for mixed drinks because it doesn’t really taste like anything and because it mixes well with almost anything. [5] Ask a bartender: Poltical and Legal Highlights
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