| Cirio said: But it is? Go back before the WWII era and although drinking was common, it was nowhere near as widespread as it is now (especially among teens). And thousands of years ago, only those who were rich and in power drank as a way of life; most people never did due to not having access to it. Alcohol nowadays has become very easy to obtain and is even easier for youngsters to get involved with it, thus it has grown into people's lives more. Hell, go travel to a country where alcohol is banned due to religious reasons and you'll see the wide amount of shops that sell alcohol. The reason is because alcohol is more accessible; about a few years ago that wasn't the case. I'm also not putting down anyone who drinks as I clearly stated that I don't have an issue with people drinking. Don't take this personally. |
You're completely wrong. Alcoholism was seen as a serious social problem amongst the working classes in Victorian Britain (just one example). In mediaeval England (and probably throughout northern Europe) a huge proportion of an average person's daily calories came from beer. Alcohol was so widely consumed that genes for alcohol tolerance were selected for in Northern Europe; people actually evolved to be able to handle alcohol better. There was even special beer for children (which was about 3% ABV, rather than the 10% that adults drank back then)
In France and much of central Europe in the 19th century, absinthe was banned because it was causing serious health problems for the general population.
Even as far back as ancient Greece, alcohol was cheap and its effects (including fights in the tabernas) were a frequent source of comedy.
In fact, at many points in European history, most people drank nothing but wine or beer (depending on their country), because water was dirty and dangerous; they often mixed the wine with the water because alcohol gave a small amount of protection against bacteria. Granted, this made it weaker, but they were still consuming a lot of alcohol.
I think you should phone up your history teacher and ask for a refund.
