Life After Prohibition

Unfortunately, very few studies were performed and very sparse research was conducted during the Prohibition era to determine the correlation between this law and the level of illegal alcohol consumption taking place. Thankfully, in 1991, professionals at the National Bureau of Economic Research were able to deduce reasonable estimates on the rate of alcohol consumption throughout important Prohibition timeframes. According to the researchers, the onset of the federal ban caused alcohol consumption to decline to about 30 percent of pre-Prohibition usage rates. In the following couple of years, alcohol consumption was estimated to grow to approximately 60-70 percent of the pre-Prohibition levels. Lastly, in the decade after Prohibition ended, …show more content…
Statistics indicating that the average rate of cirrhosis, a liver disease often caused by alcoholism, was significantly lower during Prohibition than both prior to and following suggests that Prohibition had a large part in reducing cirrhosis. However, there have also been extreme changes in the rates of cirrhosis outside the Prohibition era, emphasizing the fact that other conditions should be analyzed when considering whether these low levels of cirrhosis are direct effects of Prohibition. Nevertheless, the gifted authors known as the Lost Generation successfully altered the media portrayal and public opinion of drinking that was previously predominantly negative. Through the use of novels and films Prohibition was quickly converted from an act of progressive reform to a symbol of oppressive societal regulations in the minds of much of the youth population. In short, new groups took over the job of enticing common citizens to liquor essentially making it cool to break the law and disobey the authoritative demands of the federal