# How did the US avoid reverting to pre-Prohibition levels of drunkeness? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 16, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-us-avoid-reverting-to-pre-prohibition-levels-of-drunkeness/609657 "2012-01-16T03:09:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-us-avoid-reverting-to-pre-prohibition-levels-of-drunkeness/609657/41 "2012-01-22T03:09:49Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I’m sorry, but do you seriously believe the AVERAGE American beer drinker drinks more than six beers **a day?** The heaviest beer drinkers I know don’t drink that much beer - certainly more than six beers on a Saturday night, but every day, of course not. I actually know people I honestly believe have drinking problems who don’t average six beers a day. And all the alcoholics have to balance out people like me who average maybe six beers a month. He said 35 six packs a year. I drink 3-4beers just stopping off at my favorite pub to shoot the shit before I catch my bus home. And that’s not even a “night out drinking”. Point is, a typical college/young adult social drinker can easily throw back a six pack on a typical night out. And back in the day, we used to go out Thurs, Fri, Sat night. Then Weds became the new Thurs. Of course there’s Monday Night Football. So beers with that too. > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I do recall hearing on NPR how the German “Beer Garden” – a bright, cheery, family gathering-place to drink – was a strange thing when first tried on American soil, where even (especially) heavy drinkers had internalized the Puritan concept of drinking as a shameful thing to be done in dark, dreary caves, and not in front of the family. Now they are “the thing” in NYC/Hoboken/Jersey City. Maybe not right now that it’s 20 degrees out. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-us-avoid-reverting-to-pre-prohibition-levels-of-drunkeness/609657/42 "2012-01-22T12:52:06Z")
In the 1700’s and 1800’s, the USA was a largely rural nation. Roads were bad, and transport expensive. That is the reason that whiskey was so ubiquitous-it was cheaper for farmers to make whiskey than ship their surplus grain. Being so cheap, people drank. Crales Dickens (on his trip to the USA), remarked how cheap booze was-you could get stewed for 5 cents. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-us-avoid-reverting-to-pre-prohibition-levels-of-drunkeness/609657/43 "2012-01-22T13:19:19Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Crales Dickens Don’t you mean Darles Chickens? When I think of you typing, I always picture Animal from the Muppets. ---
**Author:** ![Shooby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f475e1/32.png) [@Shooby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shooby)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-us-avoid-reverting-to-pre-prohibition-levels-of-drunkeness/609657/44 "2012-01-23T11:30:08Z")
> [@newcrasher](#): > > Off topic, sorry. But damn this place takes its Internet conversations seriously. A little too seriously. On the contrary, I’m extraordinarily glad that there is a place on the internet where the prevailing culture is to strive for rigorous truth, even if not always successful. You have almost the entire rest of the internet where people routinely spew errors, half-truths, and just make shit up and pass it along as fact without ever being called on it! Still happens here, as well, but much less frequently on average. So I’ll take the nitpicky meticulousness any day if that’s what comes from being a relative oasis of reasonable discussion. About the topic, I wonder what effect the availability of other drugs has had. Does alcohol compete with or promote other recreational drugs, or are they mostly non-interacting phenomena? For instance, I know several people who only smoke when they drink… ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-us-avoid-reverting-to-pre-prohibition-levels-of-drunkeness/609657/45 "2012-01-24T16:36:02Z")
> [@bump](#): > > …and neat cocktails are being devised by mixologists and chefs across the country. A “neat cocktail” is a contradiction in terms. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![David42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@David42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David42)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-us-avoid-reverting-to-pre-prohibition-levels-of-drunkeness/609657/46 "2012-01-28T19:18:51Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > What also changed: clean drinking water. This is of course the number one correct answer. people were raised drinking (weak) beer for exactly this reason. I do not think of beer when I am thirsty. Our ancestors often did. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-us-avoid-reverting-to-pre-prohibition-levels-of-drunkeness/609657/47 "2012-01-29T10:08:40Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > He said 35 six packs a year No, he said: > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > How long do you think it would take the average American beer-drinker to down 35 six-packs? Less than 35 days, I’m sure. 35 six packs in under 35 days. ---
**Author:** ![David42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@David42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David42)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2012, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-us-avoid-reverting-to-pre-prohibition-levels-of-drunkeness/609657/48 "2012-01-29T11:09:36Z")
> [@Shooby](#): > > On the contrary, I’m extraordinarily glad that there is a place on the internet where the prevailing culture is to strive for rigorous truth, even if not always successful. > > You have almost the entire rest of the internet where people routinely spew errors, half-truths, and just make shit up and pass it along as fact without ever being called on it! Still happens here, as well, but much less frequently on average. So I’ll take the nitpicky meticulousness any day if that’s what comes from being a relative oasis of reasonable discussion. > > About the topic, I wonder what effect the availability of other drugs has had. Does alcohol compete with or promote other recreational drugs, or are they mostly non-interacting phenomena? For instance, I know several people who only smoke when they drink… Our country did not see an upswing in marijuana, for instance, until the late 50’s early 60’s. Alcohol usage went down sharply after prohibition ended in the 30’s. This means no-one really noticed for thirty years how well a joint and a beer work out. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-us-avoid-reverting-to-pre-prohibition-levels-of-drunkeness/609657.md?page=2)