ALCOHOL AND SOCIETY 



139 



spirits that many attribute to the drink, when they have been 

 drinking in company, is probably due in reality to the stimula- 

 tion that comes from doing things together with the others, 

 just the excitement of sociability. But since most young men 

 have not discovered a way of getting this excitement except by 

 drinking together, and since this excitement is certainly pleasant 

 why, they go and drink (Fig. 41). 



7. In addition to these mental and physiological facts that 

 lead people to drink we must mention also the economic fact 

 that there are hundreds of thousands of people who find it to 

 their interest to encourage others to drink. By means of allur- 

 ing advertisements, by means of suggestions, by means of 



FIG. 41. Why people begin to drink 



This diagram shows the result of an inquiry among a large number of people addicted 



to drink 



attractive drinking places, they lead people on until these get 

 the habit ; after that they do not need to be encouraged. It is 

 the profit that so many make out of the liquor business that 

 makes them lead the others on. 



169. Fighting the drink evil. The important things, in deal- 

 ing with a large problem like the drink question, are those 

 that go back to the causes. 



Alcohol habits resulting from the use of medicines are being 

 prevented in several ways. Many of the patent medicines so 

 widely advertised in the past were not only worthless for the 

 curing of the diseases they were bought for, but they were found 

 in very many cases to be worse than useless, for they contained 

 alcohol, or other habit-forming substances that is, substances 

 the use of which created a desire for more. People are learn- 

 ing the dangers of these "medicines," and the better classes 



