To drink to excess is no longer
respectable. Once it was a leading sign of respectability.
Doctors in the old days wrote their prescriptions illegibly,
because when called late at night they were usually drunk.
To-day a drunken doctor cannot possibly survive.
Work as hard as you can against drunkenness, for drunkenness
harms every one, even the saloon-keeper himself. The drunkard
soon comes to ruin and ceases to be a profitable customer.
Argue with young men, and talk to children ABOUT THEIR OWN
WELFARE in the matter.
But remember also that the drunkard often has tried harder than
you could try to overcome the enemy that has conquered him.
Remember that unless you have lived his life you cannot know his
excuse and cannot judge him.
DRINK A SLOW POISON
Often a man talks about like this:
"I am a regular but moderate drinker. No one ever saw me drunk,
and yet I drink every day. And what's the harm of it? Can you
see anything the matter with me?"
The man would seem to have the advantage of you. You cannot SEE
anything wrong with him. So far as outward appearances go the
case is squarely against you. The man APPEARS to be all right.
But is he? The effects of drink upon the system do not show
themselves to the extent of attracting very marked attention, at
least until the conditions are fairly ripe.
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