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ALCOHOL/AMERICAN CULTURE/PUBLIC HEALTH
Now That We Know Alcohol Causes Cancer, Will Our Culture Change?
We did this with smoking, but will it happen with alcohol?
Did you know that Thomas Jefferson was a connoisseur of wine? He held over 20,000 bottles in a cellar at his home, Monticello. That seems like an insane amount of wine!
Humans have been consuming alcohol since biblical times. Even Jesus reportedly turned water into wine. At a time when water could make you very sick, it seems appropriate to use fermentation to make liquids “safe” to drink.
By the time America was enjoying a good life as a relatively young nation, religious conservatives decried alcohol as the reason for rising immorality in the early 1900s. Prohibition existed from 1920–1933. Did this stop people from imbibing? Not really.
America’s attitudes toward drinking have long since forgotten Prohibition days. Wherever you turn, there are ads for liquor and beer. Brands like Budweiser are a part of the fabric of America. We even look forward to their Super Bowl ads each year. These ads promise a good time if you serve their libations at parties.
These ads also come with the disclaimer to please drink responsibly. What does that even mean? It…