A little bit of historical nonsense

[Richard-Allen]

Alcohol has become so inbred into our culture and I find the history of alcohol within our society rather interesting. It’s also fascinating to see just how times have changed over the years. Especially as more recently, the drinking of alcohol has become less sociable, and more self-indulgent due to Covid-19.

An analysis of hospital records shows that although its usage diminished in the period leading up to the First World War, doctors still relied upon it to treat a range of physiological and psychological illnesses. Alcohol had been used as a staple drug in medical practice since the seventeenth century. Its usage within medicine continued throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and the general public, therefore, had good reason to believe in its medicinal power. Prescriptions for alcohol became increasingly popular in the nineteenth century when more heroic methods of treatment such as cupping and bloodletting fell out of use

Back in the Victoria era (1839 – 1903), Victorians liked to drink and they lived in a society geared towards alcohol consumption. In the great industrial cities of Britain, there was almost no escaping the beer houses; gin palaces; refreshment rooms; restaurants; theatres; music halls; vaults; dram shops; oyster bars; private clubs and public houses that served a dizzying array of alcoholic drinks to suit people from all walks of life. Drinking went on from dawn till dusk and on into the wee small hours so we know that many people liked to drink.

The Quackers tried to stop this glut for the sinful alcohol by introducing Chocolate as an alternative to alcohol. The likes of Cadbury of Birmingham, Rowntree's of York, and Fry's of Bristol all made their mark by selling this substitute for alcohol.

For years I have wondered where my newly found passion for Chocolate had come from. I had convinced myself that as my Liver Transplant was carried out at the QE in Birmingham and that Bournville was clearly visible from the top of the QE hospital (Ward 726( the liver ward) was at the top floor of the building).

I knew that my donor was a local man and I wondered if maybe he was once a Cadbury’s chocolatier and that I had inherited his passion for chocolate through his liver gift. That’s my theory for binging on the stuff over Christmas anyway.

It’s a nice thought, but not much good if you’re now a drug-induced diabetic like me.

Here's wishing everyone a sober New Years Eve, and for those who still feel the need to drink, then give Dry January a try. Hopefully it will be the first of many a dry month.

Good Luck and best wishes to all

Richard: brewminate.com/drinking-in-...

[Bikafella]

Thanks for that - very interesting. I understand that there's a strong body of opinion amongst historians that ale & beer has been singularly credited with the development of civilization since it's discovery many, many thousands of years ago, well before the ancient Egyptians were drinkung it. The actual origins of its manufacture/discovery aren't very clear but it's likely that someone collecting barley in a field left it in a container during a rainstorm and it started the fermentation process - the resulting liquor had an interesting taste and effect. Over the millennia it was generally women who were responsible for making this ale. It's now thought that in places where ale was made, people settled and lived their lives around or near to a regular supply such as an ale-house. The brew was safer to drink than local water supplies.

Think of mediaeval towns where hygiene was unknown, ale was the staple drink for all except those that were wealthy enough to have wine, much the same as meat eating it was never available to the poor. Hence the universality of beers ales and other alcoholic drinks.

For those who have to avoid alcohol or are severely restricted, I've found some no-alcohol beers and lagers that are acceptable (not the same as the real stuff) but a decent substitute under the circumstances.

[Richard-Allen in reply to Bikafella]

Many thanks for your welcome comments all very interesting. The use of non-alcohol beers and wines on this site is a rather contentious issue.

If a person with alcohol-related liver disease was to require a liver transplant, they would not be considered suitable unless the had not consumed any alcohol for at least six months. What many people don’t realise is that this also has to include alcohol-free beers and wines.

Alcohol abuse is very often caused by a mental condition and if someone still has a taste and is attracted to the flavour then it is deemed that they still have possible issues. They therefore wouldn’t be considered for a place on the liver transplant waiting list as there was a greater risk of them relapsing.

[Bikafella in reply to Richard-Allen]

Ahh - Ok thanks - I'm new to the site so my apologies. As my liver disease was not alcohol related it wasn't an issue for me personally; but in any case more than a year before everything went "pear shaped" (excuse the pun but my waist line definitely did due to ascites), I'd lost any inclination for alcohol whatsoever and was eating very little at that time as well.

[Richard-Allen in reply to Bikafella]

No apologies needed my friend. Liver disease in all it's forms is a continually growing science and we all learn as we go along. New drugs and procedures are always changing so it's good to try and keep up to date with things.