Why Did Prohibition of Alcohol Fail?

Why Did the 1920s Prohibition on Alcohol Fail?

Imagine a country where a drink at the bar could land you in jail! This is precisely what happened in America during the Prohibition Era. Beginning in 1919, the Temperance Movement got what its members  wanted — a federal ban on alcohol— only to see Prohibition fail in 1933.

Why did Prohibition fail? There are a few reasons, but in short, it’s because telling people what to do when it comes to their personal habits doesn’t always work out! The 1920s Prohibition experiment is a prime example. Instead of the sought-after temperance, the results were actually quite the opposite: organized crime got more “organized,” the economy suffered, and public health ultimately took a hit.

Setting the Scene: When Did Prohibition Take Place? 

Whether you know it as the Roaring Twenties or the Jazz Age, America in the ‘20s was abuzz with a unique postwar energy. Even the term itself — “the Age of Prohibition” — transports us to the glittery fashion of fringed dresses, chic bob haircuts, dapper hats, fast cars, and whispered passwords to enter the alcohol-infused world of the speakeasy.

The Prohibition was a brief attempt by the government to ban the sale of alcohol. In spite of the government’s intention to “purify” society of “Demon Rum,” however, the effect was quite the opposite: crime rates skyrocketed, illegal underground saloons replaced more legitimate establishments, and anyone who wanted a drink could still find a way to get one.

The ban certainly didn’t dampen the era’s spunky, rebellious spirit. Women pushed social boundaries for greater independence and the right to express themselves. It was also the time of the Teapot Dome scandal that exposed government corruption and involved “ornery oil tycoons, poker-playing politicians, illegal liquor sales, a murder-suicide, a womanizing president, and a bagful of bribery cash delivered on the sly.”

But why did Prohibition happen in the first place? And why did this grand experiment in public morality flop? Let’s take a brief look at the history of the Prohibition movement.

Why Did Prohibition Happen?

When did Prohibition start?  Prohibition was the outcome of the Temperance movements and the anti-alcohol sentiment that was brewing (pardon the pun) since our country’s earliest days. However, it wasn’t until the late 1800s that the movement began gaining enough momentum to eventually achieve its goals.

• The Temperance movement picks up speed. In the 19th and early 20th century, activists denounced booze left and right, mostly on religious grounds. After 1900, the movement gained traction in the hands of the Protestant Anti-Saloon League. The “wet” opposition (made up of Catholics and German Lutherans) held their own until World War I, when it became necessary to prioritize use of grains to feed the nation.
• The 18th Amendment passes. The U.S. Senate proposed the 18th Amendment on December 18, 1917. After getting the go-ahead from 36 individual state governments, it was officially established on January 16, 1919. A year later, the whole country went dry.
• The Volstead Act provides the legal framework of Prohibition. In spite of President Woodrow Wilson’s opposition, Congress passed the Volstead Act on October 28, 1919. Known as the National Prohibition Act, the new law prohibited the sale of alcohol, defined “intoxicating liquors,” and outlined the penalties that would be imposed on anyone who disobeyed the new law.
• Booze goes underground. The new laws didn’t mean that everyone stopped drinking on cue — far from it! Instead, a black market for alcohol arose, with bootleggers providing illegal liquor and seedy saloons selling it to crowds of persevering partygoers. At the same time, there was rising concern about the effects of booze on society (which seemed to be getting worse instead of better). Headlines such as “Poisons That Lurk in the Bootleg Booze” published by Popular Science Monthly in September 1925) began cropping up, and with good reason. The lack of regulation around alcohol also meant the safety and quality of what was being consumed jeopardized,  often leading to dire health effects.

Prohibition lasted 13 years — from 1920 until 1933, when it was officially repealed by the 21st Amendment. (Fun fact: This is the only time in American history when a whole new Amendment was passed to repeal a previous one!)

Why Did Prohibition Fail?

In hindsight it’s clear the project was doomed from the start, but let’s explore the more nuanced reasons in greater detail. 

1. Social, Psychological, and Health Reasons

Rather than dismantling the liquor industry, Prohibition sent it underground — with dire results. As a current Popular Science article points out in discussing their own fear-mongering headlines from the ‘20s, it was the carelessness of bootleggers that led to the deaths of thousands who drank their tainted booze.

The rise of speakeasies and bootlegging also paved the way for the heyday of the mafia, “organizing” what became known as organized crime operating under the iron fists of characters like Chicago’s infamous gangster Al Capone.

2. Economic Reasons

The economic consequences of closed breweries, distilleries, and bars were substantial. In his PBS program on Prohibition, Ken Burns documents the unintended economic consequences. The closings meant the loss of thousands of jobs, for everyone from brewers to waiters, barrel makers, and truck drivers. Luckily, some found ways to convert their equipment into devices for making malt sugar out of barley, as well as soft drinks.

Prohibition also took its toll on the nation’s economy through lost liquor taxes. According to Burns’s documentary, a whopping $11 billion was lost in tax revenue as the result of a policy that cost a staggering $300 million to enforce!

3. Legal and Political Reasons 

Speaking of enforcing Prohibition laws, it turned out to be much harder than the government anticipated. And there were loopholes galore: pharmacists were allowed to sell alcohol for medicinal purposes, and many ingredients that people could use to make their own “bathtub gin” were freely available for sale.

The End of Prohibition 

The final “nail in the coffin” of Prohibition? ​​The Great Depression dramatically shifted priorities to the nation’s economic crisis, paving the way for the 21st Amendment.

The Next Chapter in U.S. Alcohol History

But while the 21st Amendment officially repealed the 18th and made the sale of alcohol legal again, alcohol wasn’t necessarily welcomed with open arms everywhere in the country.

Just as implementing the law across the country took a few years , it took some time for the laws to fade away. Two states — North and South Carolina — rejected the 21st Amendment, while another eight didn’t vote at all.

Mississippi, on the other hand, stands out from the rest as the only state that kept a version of Prohibition going until 1966!

Prohibition, Public Health, and Recovery 

Does everyone agree that Prohibition “failed” completely? Not exactly. Two papers that look at this period from a public health perspective arrive at different conclusions.

A paper in the journal Addiction titled “What Are the Policy Lessons of National Alcohol Prohibition in the United States, 1920-1933?” suggests that the Prohibition experience does not mean that prohibiting alcohol is necessarily doomed to failure. Rather, partial prohibitions can produce substantial public health benefits at an acceptable social cost.

However, another paper from the American Journal of Public Health highlights the fact that Prohibition ignored the key element of reducing how much we drink, both then and now: individual motivation. Titled “Did Prohibition Really Work? Alcohol Prohibition as a Public Health Innovation,” the paper posits that where Prohibition “pushers” went wrong was in seeing drinking as a social rather than individual issue. 

Yes, there’s been plenty of talk about the “evils” of excessive drinking in American society and plenty of teetotalers willing to lead by example. However, most people didn’t think they were the ones who were drinking too much and felt like the government was trying to control something that wasn’t its business. The result? Off to the saloon we go!

Advice for Cutting Back or Quitting

As we can see, when it comes to changing drinking patterns, Prohibition-style is not the way to go. The key is that motivation has to come from within. Here are some examples of how we can become more self-aware about our drinking patterns.

• Be mindful of your drinking patterns. Start by becoming a “scientist” of your own drinking patterns. When do you tend to drink more than you’d like? Is it at social events, happy hour at work, or watching sitcom reruns with your partner in the evening? Don’t judge — this is simply about tracking your patterns to become aware of your habits. 
• Find your “why.” As we can see from the Prohibition experience, the “why” can’t be “because the government told us so.” It has to come from within! Find yours and get excited about it. Maybe you want to develop more authentic connections. Maybe you want to get your liver, heart, brain, and other parts of your body in tip-top shape. Maybe you want to lose weight, save money, or enjoy better sleep every night. Whatever it is, own it!
• Set specific goals. Decide how much you will drink ahead of time and try to stick to those goals. Tell an accountability buddy or try Reframe: we’ll help you log your drinks and track your habits with friendly reminders.
• Reach out to your support team. Having a team of friends, family members, and others on the same path can make all the difference. Try the Reframe Forum for 24/7 support!
• Find other ways to have fun. Many things folks were doing back in the Prohibition Era (think dancing and socializing) are actually great ways to promote the release of dopamine and serotonin, our “feel-good” neurochemicals, naturally — no booze required!

Summing Up

As Abraham Lincoln said in response to Illinois' statewide prohibition of alcohol in the 1840s, “Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes ... A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.”

Let’s look at our own alcohol journeys as choices — not restrictions or personal “prohibitions.” We may end up having as much fun as those flappers in the saloons — just booze-free!