Whether alcohol is consumed as beer, brandy, hard cider,  wine,  distilled spirits,  or any other form,  it is an intoxicating substance that has been used and often abused by many millions of people over millennia.  In addition,  countless numbers of individuals throughout time have also developed an addiction to alcohol.  The modern terms for an addiction to alcohol are alcohol dependence or alcoholism. The ancient Egyptians enjoyed their beer, sometimes to considerable excess, in the same manner as some ancient Romans copiously over imbibed their wine. In the 11th century c.e., physician Simeon Seth of the Byzantine court wrote that drinking wine caused liver inflammation, a condition that he treated with pomegranate syrup.

It may greatly surprise many people to learn that the early Pilgrims who colonized America were regular alcohol consumers,  and when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620,  they had a major crisis involving alcohol: They had just run out of beer, which was their primary source of liquid replenishment. Freshwater was unavailable, and there was no such thing as purified bottled water at that time.  William Bradford,  the leader of the Pilgrims,  purportedly fervently begged the ship’s captain and the crew to give the colonists at least some portion of their own beer supply.

At first,  their pleas were to no avail.  Finally,  the captain chose to give up his own portion of beer to the Pilgrims,  agreeing to drink only water on his trip back home.  This was no small sacrifice, because stored water frequently became contaminated on long journeys, while beer would remain potable (drinkable and safe) during the long trek homeward.

Since the time of the Pilgrims,  alcohol has played a considerable role in U.S.  history,  and at some points in the past,  excessive drinking was very common by 21st-century standards.  As a result,  throughout the nation’s history,  many attempts have been made to ban all sales of alcohol by various states (starting with the Maine Liquor Law in 1851).  The most notable success of the “drys”  (those who strongly favored banning all alcohol,  in contrast to the “wets”  who supported the continued sale and use of alcohol)  occurred with the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment (commonly referred to as Prohibition)  in 1920.

This statute banned alcohol through the entire United States.  However,  the Eighteenth Amendment was repealed 13 years later in 1933 with the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment. The loss of tax revenues to the states, the flagrant abuse of alcohol that had occurred despite the ban, the rise of violent organized crime groups dealing in bootleg (illegal) liquor, and other reasons ultimately led to the repeal of Prohibition.

Alcohol itself is a substance that once was viewed as “God’s good creature”  by none other than Puritan preacher Cotton Mather,  who perceived alcohol as a benign and healthful substance that everyone,  including children and pregnant women, should drink on a regular basis. Of course, at other times the public has held a radically different perception of alcohol.  For example,  in the late 19th century,  alcohol in general,  as well as rum in particular, was perceived as an inherently wicked substance.  “Demon rum”  was believed by some to be a severely and instantly addictive substance to any person who foolishly chose to imbibe it,  and thus it was also believed to be a substance that should be actively avoided by all right-thinking individuals. In later years, Alcoholics Anonymous originators and devotees adopted the idea of alcohol as an irresistible substance for some individuals,  for whom their only salvation or relief was abstinence. (This belief in abstinence and sobriety for alcoholics is now supported by considerable research.)

It is instructive and often helpful to learn from the beliefs and practices of people in the past. This historical overview will discuss the varying views of alcohol, alcohol abuse and alcoholism, and alcoholics throughout history, starting with Europe in the Middle Ages and with an emphasis on alcohol use and abuse from the colonial period to the present in the United States. Attitudes toward the alcohol abuser and alcoholic have also changed through time in an almost cyclical fashion,  and this introduction covers varying societal views of the alcoholic as well as attitudes toward his or her family members and associates.  For example,  at different points in time,  the alcoholic person has been viewed as a moral degenerate, an ill person, a weak person,  an evil person,  a person with an uncontrolled disease, and so on. In today’s society, many individuals regard alcohol dependence as a disease, but there are still those who perceive alcoholism as a moral weakness.