In previous ages, it was common, even among some Puritans, to imbibe mild wine, mead, and beers from breakfast till nighttime with little effect. However, what had long been a healthy and relatively harmless social and gustatory custom turned into an addictive and dangerous habit for many when modern means of producing alcohol increased the potency of alcoholic beverages.11 In addition, the Industrial Revolution’s increasingly rigorous and dehumanized systems of labor prompted more workers to seek even more relief in alcohol, and an epidemic began.
