Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-07-21
WOMEN DRUNKS.
Society Women, Actresses, Etc, who
have Become AIcohOPs Own The
Growing Taste for Opiatcs.

|
Growing Taste for Opiatcs.
In East Fifty-seventh street is {
large and handsome brown stone
house, furnished like private dwell
iEg, and called the Christian Home
for women who suffer from an inordi
nate use of Intoxicating liquors OF
narcotic poisons, and who are moi
strong enough to break up the habi,
without medical aid. DIR. and Mrs. A.
2. Meylert are in charge for the
Women's Christian Temperance Asso4
citation. The late William T.. Dodge
gave the building to the association
and stipulated that only women who
could give reference of good moral
character should be admitted. The
institution is sustained by the gifts OF
charitable people, and patients are not
required to pay for support and treat
ment unless they are known to be able
to do so. DIR. Meylert said:
"In the two months existence of the
institution we have had here for treat
ment many Christian women and
women who move in the best known
circles of society, and it was for the
benefit of such as they that the Home
was started. Do not imagine, though,
that such women come here of their
own accord. Their friends get their
consent to be brought here OF course,
such consent is not easily obtained,
for they will not acknowledge that
| they are drunkards even to their dear
est friends. They differ from men in
this respect. Their friends come to
me. however, and ask me to receive
the inebriate when she goes on her
next spree, for after her spree she is
willing to go anywhere to get relief.
There are exceptions to this rule.
Here is one"
DIR. Meylert turned to his desk and
picked up a letter in the handwriting
of a woman.
II connot give you her name," he
continued. "She is one of the most
prominent talented actresses in the
city,
The letter, which DIR. Meylert read
aloud, emitting the names in the read
ing said that the actress had concluded
to go alone to some place where she
could be watched and treated medi-
cally. She had Just recovered from
what her manager believed to be a
serious sickness, but it was simply O
solitary debauch. The manager had
not the faintest suspicion of the
cause of her sickness, for he had just
signed with her for a new engage
ment She had found herself unable
to get rid of her unfortunate
trouble her "curso." She added:
Il am willing to endure anything,
suffer anything, TO conquer this appe-
tite. had sunk into low despond
ency before resolving to seek help.
1 have lost confidence in myself.
An irresistible power has hold of me-
"Now, that woman has dipsomania,"
said the physician, as he folded the
letter. "She has periodical fits of in
sanity, and it is utterly impossible for
her to reform by her own strength of
will, She had tried twice to commit
suicide. and was prevented by her
maid. She would get liquor when she
craved it, even if, as Jefferson says in
rip Van Winkle,' she had to cut off
her leg to get it. But this poor women
is franker than any / over knew.
Most women patients deny that they
drink at all. Press them with gues-
tons and they will grant you with
hesitation that they take glass of
wine at dinner, or that, feeling ill or
faint in the street, they went to drug
store and asked for something, which
unexpectedly proved to be gin. But
they did not know what the drug
clerk was preparing-certainly not.
In fact, we cannot believe what the
women say. We are guided by their
friends statements.
"A Boston lady of great wealth
wrote to me recently describing at
length the symptoms OF her lady
FRIEND and asked if the lady could
be received as patient. learned
that she was tho patient herself.
You would be astounded il l should
mention the names OF some we'll
known women in society who have
been to the institution for treatment
for inebriety. Their identity has
been 80 carefully concealed that not
one of the thirty or more officers OF
the association knew they were re-
covering from their excesses here. l
am the only one outside OF the families
of the patients who knows their names.
They come here looking frightfully,
and after treatment Of few weeks
you would not recognize them. The
doors arc kept locked inside and out
side, of course, for if the patients
could go out they would go straight
to the nearest liquor saloon. No,
they do not ask me for liquor. They
know they won't get that. But when
they come to me and beg for relief
from the pain in their stomachs-
mind you, not one was ever known
to admit that the pain is simply
craving for alcohol never turn
them away, but prescribe beef extract
or rich milk, and when they are un-
able to sleep from the craving for
liquor l give them sedatives. In two
or three weeks they begin to mend,
and their appetites are enormous.
Many on their arrival have not eateo
any solid food in three weeks. give
pepsin, tonics. bromides sparingly,
and electricity especially, with the
best results. Why, that electrical bat
tory on tho fah1o wOn11 foil an Oy to