Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1877-01-24
DRUNKENNESS.


VIZ ~" "ll''''"' A"Ny w NV Urn i"'
condemnation OF drunkenness-they
know all about its direiul consequence
but for remedies from drunkenness
1t is an entirely practical question L
them, and they do not wish to be pu
off with moral platitudcs, easy to utter
and the truth OF which they freely ac
knowledge. Tell us how TO conque
the habit Of reliance on alcoholic slim
ulants, Is the question they ask us viii
so much earnestness
Now, IL is far harder to answer
this question satisfactorily than I,
stigmatize the practice Of drinking
Experience shows that prohibitory
laws against the sale OF liquor are il
vain. The only way is for each indi
vidual to be fortified against the temp
tation TO indulgence, Laws cannol
take the place of individual will here
though they may perhaps help tC
strengthen it but chiefly they mus
do their part by making the vice o.
drunkenness odious and punishable
and society must aid by treating with
less lcniency the lapses from sobriety
which 1t now toleratcs among its most
honored members. 1t should be prac
tically enforced on every young mar
that beastliness in drinking is a socia
crime for which he must pay the pen
atty in social censure, as much as il b,
made any other indecent exhibition o.
vile habits that if he wishes to hold
the place of gentleman or a respect
cd member of society, to be received
among ropectable people, or to obtain
employment he must never be seer
ander the influence Of liquor The
laws which punish the vender OF th,
drink are not successful, nor are they
sound in morals and logic 1T Is
THE USER WHO SHOULD BIZ
COMPELLED TO FEEL THF
PENALTY OF HIS DERELIC-
TloN IN HIS OWN PERSON
AND REPUTATION.
This is what society can do to pre-
vent the formation of the habit o
gross indulgence in drinking. But
when once tho habit is acquired, there
Is no one who can cure il except tht
victim of it himself, and such victims
appeal to us for the remedy. Now
the great remedy is the will There
is no drug in the pharmacopeia that
Of itself can cure drunkenness, though
there are drugs which can mitigat,
the effects Of drunkenness, help to re
store tone TO the system after a de
baueh, and strengthen the shattered
nerves. A correspondent of the .Sm
has given such prescriptions, and they
are good. But they must be regarded
altogether as means Of recovering
from the physical damage Of the habi
Of drinking, and enabling the drunk
ard to sustain himself temporarily
without the aid of alcoholic stimu
liant; and SO far they are necessar,
part OF tho cure in many cases
The man may be said to be on tn,
bigb road TO becoming drunkard who
IN otherwise ordinarily good health
feels the need Of the support OF stimu
lants to keep the physical machine il
running order If he regularly expe
riences a sense of agoneness7 in tn,
morning, a nervous prostration ant
lassitnde which is not overcome unit
he bad cocktail or two before break
last, he is an incipient drunkard, if b,
is not one already, out and out II,
has got so far that he drinks, not 70
the pleasure Of the beverage, but be
cause it is necessity to him. Thel
the serpent has him in its folds, and b,
is gone, unless be at ceand perempt
orily refuses to drink altogether.
The bane of our young men and GU
business men of all ages is these morn
Ing tipples. A man who habitually
drinks in the morning is sure to 20 I,
bed full of liquor at night Beginning
the day on stimulants, he cannot e
through il without keeping up the nc
tion by continued re-cniorcements
There are thousands Of highly re
spectacle men in Now York who ar,
under the influence Of liquor the TWEEN
ty-four hours through and from on,
years end to another The utter
avoidance Of everything in the way
of alcoholic drinks throughout the day
and before the heavy mcal-thcn, il
taken at all, to be taken with the food
lis tho inaexiblc rule for all yoanl
men to lay down for themselves. And
when they find that either by reason
of an inherited morbidity of appctit,
or by peculiar temptation to drinking
they are getting to rely on the stimu
liant as an imperative need, let then
not deceive themselves by hopes o
conquering the desire while continuing
to indulge Il, but at once give up liquol
altogether Such men are only saf,
when they are total abstainers. Al
those who drink are not Of this kind
but practically all are who feel th,
need of the support Of alcohol for th,
nerves or the faculties and they vii
be wise if they watch for tho indica
tions OF the dependence, and promptly
stop the moment they see them.
The case Of the man who has grow
to lean on alcohol as a cripple on BIZ
staff who cannot go through his ordi
nary work or pleasure without 1t, is al
exceedingly difficult one of cure, anc
here come in such prescriptions as thos,
given by our correspondent. Let tb,
drunkard have temporary recourse +,
them in place of his accustomed stim
ulant, and leave that of from hence
forth. He must endure the prostra