1919: With Nebraska’s adoption of the 18th Amendment, it became the 36th state
(out of 48) to do so, thereby making this amendment part of the United
States Constitution
[right: front page of the Anti-Saloon League’s The American Issue*, 25 Jan 1919]. It prohibited “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating
liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof.”
Importantly, this language did not prohibit the use, possession, or even
manufacture of alcohol for private, personal use.
As Dr. Bob S. noted in his story “Doctor Bob’s Nightmare” (in all four editions of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous), he initially did not realize that the government would accommodate his alcoholism by allowing doctors almost unlimited supplies of grain alcohol for “medicinal urposes.” During Prohibition, Dr. Bob would randomly select a name from the phone book and fill out a prescription to obtain a pint of 100-proof medicinal alcohol
[left: Prohibition-era prescription—not from Dr. Bob—for alcohol].
*The total circulation of The American Issue in 1919 was 837,200,172 copies!
1920: At midnight, Prohibition took effect across the United States, one year after the ratification of the 18th Amendment.
This amendment granted “Congress and the several States” the power to enforce Prohibition. However, the enabling legislation—the Volstead Act, named after Minnesota Representative Andrew Volstead.jpg)
[right] but actually written by Wayne Wheeler
[left, 1920]
of the Anti-Saloon League—left no room for local options or other forms of
flexibility.
Ironically, the law called for a significant increase in federal intervention in society just as “limited government” advocates were coming into office (Prohibition was in effect during the presidencies of Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover). A parsimonious Congress was reluctant to appropriate sufficient funds for effective enforcement.
The result would be a decade of lawlessness, with citizens flouting the law in speakeasies and bootleggers corrupting public officials. On Capitol Hill, the bootlegger George Cassiday
[right, 1930],
known as “The Man in the Green Hat,” would operate freely out of the House
office building. The Senate would successfully prevent his client list from
ever being made public.
Alcohol consumption and deaths from cirrhosis of the liver would both decline during Prohibition, while Bill W., Dr. Bob S., and other A.A. pioneers would engage in their heaviest drinking during this period. Terms like “rumrunner,” “bootlegger,” “speakeasy” and “bathtub gin” would soon enter the national vocabulary.
1945: A meeting was held at the Hotel Cleveland
[left, circa 1940]
in Cleveland, Ohio, to elect the first administrative body responsible for
establishing and guiding the functions of a Downtown Alcoholics Anonymous
District [Central] Office. Jack D., Paul J., Charles D., Dr. F. F., and
Cliff B. were elected to the inaugural Operating Committee. Dick S., Elmer
L., and Abby G. were elected to the Nominating Committee. The Finance
Committee reported that, in response to a December letter soliciting funds,
approximately 200 members had contributed $3,600
[~$65,000 in 2026], and many more had pledged to contribute as soon as the office
opened.
[right: front page of the Anti-Saloon League’s The American Issue*, 25 Jan 1919]. It prohibited “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating
liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof.”
Importantly, this language did not prohibit the use, possession, or even
manufacture of alcohol for private, personal use.As Dr. Bob S. noted in his story “Doctor Bob’s Nightmare” (in all four editions of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous), he initially did not realize that the government would accommodate his alcoholism by allowing doctors almost unlimited supplies of grain alcohol for “medicinal urposes.” During Prohibition, Dr. Bob would randomly select a name from the phone book and fill out a prescription to obtain a pint of 100-proof medicinal alcohol
[left: Prohibition-era prescription—not from Dr. Bob—for alcohol].*The total circulation of The American Issue in 1919 was 837,200,172 copies!
1920: At midnight, Prohibition took effect across the United States, one year after the ratification of the 18th Amendment.
This amendment granted “Congress and the several States” the power to enforce Prohibition. However, the enabling legislation—the Volstead Act, named after Minnesota Representative Andrew Volstead
.jpg)
[right] but actually written by Wayne Wheeler
[left, 1920]
of the Anti-Saloon League—left no room for local options or other forms of
flexibility.Ironically, the law called for a significant increase in federal intervention in society just as “limited government” advocates were coming into office (Prohibition was in effect during the presidencies of Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover). A parsimonious Congress was reluctant to appropriate sufficient funds for effective enforcement.
The result would be a decade of lawlessness, with citizens flouting the law in speakeasies and bootleggers corrupting public officials. On Capitol Hill, the bootlegger George Cassiday
[right, 1930],
known as “The Man in the Green Hat,” would operate freely out of the House
office building. The Senate would successfully prevent his client list from
ever being made public.Alcohol consumption and deaths from cirrhosis of the liver would both decline during Prohibition, while Bill W., Dr. Bob S., and other A.A. pioneers would engage in their heaviest drinking during this period. Terms like “rumrunner,” “bootlegger,” “speakeasy” and “bathtub gin” would soon enter the national vocabulary.
1945: A meeting was held at the Hotel Cleveland
[left, circa 1940]
in Cleveland, Ohio, to elect the first administrative body responsible for
establishing and guiding the functions of a Downtown Alcoholics Anonymous
District [Central] Office. Jack D., Paul J., Charles D., Dr. F. F., and
Cliff B. were elected to the inaugural Operating Committee. Dick S., Elmer
L., and Abby G. were elected to the Nominating Committee. The Finance
Committee reported that, in response to a December letter soliciting funds,
approximately 200 members had contributed $3,600
[~$65,000 in 2026], and many more had pledged to contribute as soon as the office
opened.
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