Alcoholism in 1800 in USA Research Assignment (Essay Sample)

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Drugs and Society
The effects of drugs on the society is serious, it not only impacts the users of the drugs but also the families of the people affected. Today, the reports by ONDCP quantified the effects of drugs economically in the United States to be $180.2 billion. The most common effect of drug use too many is poor health, prolonged sickness, and death. In the early days of 1900's through 1920's, the most common form of the drug that was used remained to be alcohol and it accounted for 51% of the total drugs in the country. As always, it destroyed the social structures and created so much burden on the families especially the women. To restore the dignity into the country, the Prohibition Act was introduced and was effected in 1920. The main purpose of having the law was to restore sanity to the country and restore the already broken social structures. However, the law failed to restore the country from the massive usage of alcohol but instead promoted the illegal business in the United States. The effects did not only reach the United States, but it was also felt in the other parts of the world like the neighboring countries.
Later in 1930’s after the law’s failure had been noticed, was the introduction of the Volstead Act which managed to restore the country from the menace of Alcoholism. In this paper, therefore, is the analysis of the diverse effects of 18th constitutional Amendment had in the country and some of the impacts that were created by the introduction of the Volstead Act.
Effects of Prohibition Act Then and Now
The prohibition Act was intended to create and restore sanity into the American society but it failed and instead, it brought so many effects that some are even felt in the present day of America as explained blow:
Massive corruption
One of the fundamental effects of the prohibition laws was the massive growth of corruption in the country during those days. Instead of ending the culture of alcohol drinking, one of the challenges that faced people was the growth of corruption since potential gang groups in the country were engaging in the illegal transportation of the liquor and its sale. They grew to be very rich and they could hire the best lawyers in town making them buy their way out of legal authoritiesCITATION Ksi08 \p 123 \l 1033 (Ksir, Ray and Hart 123).
Lack of respect for religion
Among the main forces that advocated for the creation of the prohibition Act was the church, they wanted the society to embrace God and shun from the evil ways which were drinking. Instead of embracing the new paradise, the culture of drinking grew more, making the paradise to be an issue for the few and not the majority of the people. In a way, the law contributed to the disobedience of the people not to recognize the law, but recognize alcohol which was appreciated by many.
Growth of Hard Drugs
Prohibition law led to the creation of the Volstead Act after it failed to contain the country. From it, therefore, supply and possession of alcohol were illegal. As a result, therefore, there was massive growth of the hard drug network since the gangs wanted to maintain their status quo in the society. Today, the sale of alcohol and consumption is not as high as it was in 1800 but there is the equal growth of hard drug cartels in the country.
Effects of Alcoholics Anonymous Movement
The alcoholics Anonymous abbreviated as the AA is an international and a mutual aid fellowship that was established by Dr. Smith and Bill Wilson in 1935. The main reason for the movement’s formation was to help alcoholics remain sober. Basically, the movement’s secret is based on the 12 step program of both spiritual and character development. Since its formation, the effect it created is immense and has been felt from then and today. The main aim of prohibition Act was to take people back to God, however, the creation of AA ensured that more alcoholics were strengthened spiritually, making them appreciate the role of religion in their livesCITATION Die16 \p 89 \l 1033 (Diehl 89). Just like today, the AA helped alcoholics remain sober, with 27% of the individuals taken through the program gaining the required level of sobriety in less than a year. Its presence in the presence day has also remained relevant in helping drug and substance addicts restore themselves from such addictionCITATION Die16 \p 89 \l 1033 (Diehl 89).
Effects of Wayne Wheeler and Grassroots Movements
Generally, Wayne Wheeler and the grassroots movement played a significant role in defining the politics of the day and even today. According to the philosophy spread by Wayne, his primary agenda was to ensure that the prohibition Act works and all the politicians respect the law on prohibition. As a result, therefore, people were being rejected on the basis of support they offered prohibition. An individual who did not offer any support for the prohibition, would, therefore, be leftCITATION Mac161 \p 73 \l 1033 (MacGirr 73).
Today, these are the same philosophies that have been maintained by the conservatives especially by the families with a strong Christian background. It has to be noted that Wheeler was using the churches to have his mission of supporting prohibition and drafting of the Volstead Act. These values have, therefore, lived from one generation to another, exposing people to various values which as well shapes their political affiliation and choices based on the policies of the individual and the party.
Effects of the Volstead Act
Affected Quantity and Type of Alcohol produced
Once in the history of the country, production, transportation and the sale of illegal alcohol were controlled by the gang groups. These groups remained to be powerful in the face of the ordinary Americans to an extent that their lifestyles were being admired by many, especially the lower level class individuals. However, with the introduction, if the Volstead Act, the terms of production changed and there came the birth of new dispensation in the United States. The law introduced a new way of production in the country regulating the home production system to 200 gallons with an alcohol percentage of not more than 0.5%. In other words, it advocated for fruit juice production at home and change the production of toxic alcohol allowed by the Prohibition.
Created Effect on the Legal system
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