End of Prohibition Essay

Earlier that day, some states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania had already ratified the amendment (Miron & Zwiebel, 1991). It was in the 19th century when the movement that demanded the prohibition of alcohol began (Schrad, 2017). This was done by citizens who were concerned about the effects of the use of alcohol which started forming temperance societies. These groups had become very powerful political forces by the end of the 19th century, making campaigns on state levels and also making calls for liquor abstinence for the whole nation (Schrad, 2017). As a result of these, several states outlawed the manufacturing and the sale of alcohol within the states’ borders. There were criminal empires built by the use of illegal distribution efforts by large-scale bootleggers such as Al Capone (Miron & Zwiebel, 1991).

It is as a result of this that the government lost a lot of money in tax revenue. The consumption of alcohol was largely accepted in most urban areas whereby the drinkers would gather at speakeasies. “Speakeasies” was the prohibition era term used to refer to saloons. Prohibition, however, lost its popular support in the 1930s. There are some people who get very violent when they are drunk, and thus they may end up being violent to their partners or children and ruin their relationships. Drinking alcohol may also make a person ineffective at their work place. Therefore, such people may lose their jobs as a result of drinking. This would end up as a problem extended to the family since they have to help such people financially.

The society at large is also affected by the legalization of alcohol. This may also cause them anxiety and depression which may increase the problem. Alcohol use, therefore, may make the work of the counselors hard as they would take a lot of time to make progress to people who are addicted and who are facing some other co-occurring disorders such as mental problems and depression. It thus increases the potential problems in the lives of the people. Alcohol legalization would also affect the manner in which a counselor sees the problems of such people (Schrad, 2017). As they do the counseling, they would have to ensure that the people are not under the influence of alcohol and that their decisions are not affected by the alcohol.