The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-02-12
THE WHISKY HABIT.
How an Old Topper overcame His Appetite
for Whisky.

II uOVSl luea al laO uS0 VI AuloAtSotIoE 5
stimulants came to the notice of Cal
reporter yesterday in the case of an old
friend, who some time ago was the living
personiGcation OF; the old, cid story of q
brilliant mind. clouded from the effects OF
|.intoxicants. In his. start in life this
friend had bright prospects for grand
future. The appetite for liquor, however,
increased upon him to such an extent
that he was soon almost entirely incapac-
itated for work. He rapidly went down
hill, and all efforts to rouse him to sense
of his degradation were futile. The
reporter last saw him in this condition
over year ago. One day last week he
met spruce and well-dressed man who
bore q resemblance to this friend, but
whom he did not recognize until the
individual threw out his hand and called
the reporter by name.
II suppose you hardly know me-" he
said, smile wreathing his health bloom.
ing face. The reporter admitted that he
at first had, hardly been able to, and then
becoming confidential, as old friends do
on meeting, he soon learned the cause OF
the change. EYES," said the friend, II
used to be very hard drinker, as you
know. I tried several times to quit, but
could not. The appetite for strong drink
was too much for me. If went without
it for awhile became nervous wretch.
I had to drink or die. a thought was
suggested to me one day, though, and l
made up my mind to make one supreme
effort to rescue myself I reasoned this
way: A man takes liquor into his
stomach, and the stimulant, through the
blood, affects the brain. Now, | thought
if could satisfy my appetite without
the liquor affecting my brain, I would be
all right. If / could get the taste of the
liquor, the aroma, the essence of it,
without taking it into the stomach, l
know could drink at pleasure and not
become intoxicated, as drunkenness could
not ensue if the liquor did not enter the
stomach. say this idea was suggested
to me, and it was in this way: | had
noticed that men who made business OF
buying and selling wines in large guam.
titles sampled them and ascertained their
quality and bouquet by taking two or
three mouthfuls in succession, rolling it
around their tongues, as one might say,
bathing their palate in tin short,
subiecting it to the sseverest tests by the
organs Of taste-and then ejecting it
from the mouth without swallowing any.
The remembrance of this came upon me
one day when I was perfectly sober but
terribly respondent. resolved to try it.
Idid, and have met with the most graft
flying success. You may laugh, but it is
the solemn truth. took large drink
of liquor, but instead of letting it pass
into my stomach 1 checked it in my
throat and gargled it for minute, and
then spat it out. To my joy | found my
thirst for it almost as much appeased as
though I had swallowed the liquor. I
tried it again and again, with the same
effect. was not made drunk. have
followed this plan ever since, and have
not been drunk since, although I have
gargled the liquor, never swallowing a
drop, as many as dozen or more times q
day-the same number of drinks used
to take. The plan IS a very simple one,
and is, I.believe, tie only one for slave
to the cup"
"Has your appetite increased?"
"On the contrary, it has decreased.
By the means I adopted my brain has
become clear and strong again, and my
will power is as good as it ever was before
I became hard drinker. In gsrgling
the liquor got all the benefit of the
flavor, and all the satisfaction to my
appetite, without losing my senses. -
San Francisco Call.