An important component that drove Prohibition, and which continues to animate discussions of alcohol, is, of course, its misuse or overuse. This subject has been debated throughout American history. Readers wishing to explore this topic chronologically may wish to start with Megan L. Bever’s At War with King Alcohol, which considers debates over drinking and its acceptability within military culture in the context of the Civil War. Treating the perception of alcohol in the postwar United States, Lori Rotskoff analyzes how alcoholism shifted from being a social problem to a family problem in Love on the Rocks. While excessive drinking was still frowned upon, it became a reflection of a personal failing to properly inhabit one’s gender role, rather than a societal one. Focusing specifically on women, Michelle McCellan’s Lady Lushes considers the history of the female alcoholic and the social threat she poses. Considering the health effects of women’s drinking, Janet Golden’s Message in a Bottle examines fetal alcohol syndrome, documenting the development and perception of the diagnosis.
Other volumes trace the widespread social impacts of both alcoholism and recovery efforts. In One for the Road Barron H. Lerner charts the history of drunk driving, one of the major consequences of alcoholism in the United States in particular. Focusing on recovery, The Language of the Heart, by Trysh Travis, offers a cultural history of Alcoholics Anonymous and the recovery movement that emerged from it.
A more personal account is Distilled Spirits, by veteran journalist Don Lattin. The book recounts the author’s personal struggles with addiction and sobriety and also narrates his encounters with three prominent figures who experimented with psychedelic drugs.
