Permanent temperance documents of the American Temperance Society. Vol. I.

Date:
1835
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Permanent temperance documents of the American Temperance Society. Vol. I. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    553] manner, and as, moreover, I reserved the privilege of drinking wine, beer, and cider, under the conviction that they were inno- cent, and at times, even necessary. A careful observation of their effects, however, soon satisfied me, as in the case of distilled spirit, that I invariably was injured by their use, and 1 therefore gradually came on to the plan, which ought to have been adopt- ed at first; viz. total abstinence. I have thus tried alcohol in most of the forms in which it is used, and under the circum- stances in which it has been supposed to be innocent, if not use- ful, and I can conscientiously say, that, I have never received any benefit from it. As a restorative, in case of fatigue, it was truly “a mockerappearing for a short time to give strength, but always inducing greater lassitude and debility, when its first effect had subsided, and placing the system in that condition, in which it could not sustain extra exertion, without great exhaus- tion. After abandoning the use of alcoholic drinks, I found my general health improved ; my dyspepsia vanished; my hypo- chondria and head-ache disappeared; and my strength much in- creased. I could not doubt that this beneficial change was owing to my abstaining from these stimulants, for my habits, with respect to exercise, diet, &c., were the same as before. I was also enabled to apply myself to study, with pleasure and without head-ache, which I have scarcely been able to do for several years. When fatigued, which is very seldom, I find a glass of water, or milk and water, or lemonade, a much better cordial, than any kind of intoxicating liquor ever was. I can also bear heat or cold better than formerly, and am not liable to get sick from exposure, or over-exertion. While under the old regime, I had frequent attacks of illness, and some of a serious nature; but since I have adopted my present course, I have not found occasion to take a particle of medicine, nor have I been confined to my bed a single day. And why should we not ex- pect such beneficial results to flow from abstaining from even the moderate use of poison ? It is now proved, by the experiments of Magendie, and other physiologists, that if alcohol be introduc- ed into the stomach, in any quantity, it goes directly, unchanged, into the blood, and unassimilated, is carried to every organ and every fibre in the system. The unnatural excitement thus occa- sioned tends to weaken and derange, and not to strengthen or nourish ; and if taken in combination with nutritious substances, it goes far to neutralize their otherwise valuable properties. My own experience, therefore, as well as observation, fully satisfies me, that the moderate use, so called, of alcoholic drinks, tends directly to debilitate the digestive organs ; to cloud the under- standing, weaken the memory, unfix the attention, and confuse all the mental operations ; besides inducing a host of nervous