What did the 5 stages of intoxication look like 155 years ago
This series of photos perfectly illustrates how alcohol turns a respectable person into a staggering wreck, spewing a bad smell, curses and not only. The pictures were taken by Australian photographer Charles Percy Pickering in his Sydney studio in 1865. Probably, it was an order of a local organization of teetotallers as a visual aid about the dangers of drunkenness.
Stage one.
Although Australia never introduced prohibition, as in the United States, organizations like the "Independent Order of the Rehabits" fiercely opposed the use of alcohol and conducted anti-alcohol campaigns in the middle of the XIX century.
Stage two.
A few decades after these photos were taken, Australian temperance advocates seemed to have achieved success — during the First World War, mandatory early closure of pubs and bars in hotels was introduced as austerity measures.
Stage three.
However, this gave the opposite result. The early closure of drinking establishments created the phenomenon of six o'clock swill (in the jargon, this meant a quick drink after 6 o'clock).
Stage four.
That is, after work, people rushed to bars and in a short time got so drunk that they could not stand and completely resembled the gentleman in the photos.
Stage five.
Keywords: Alcohol | History | Drunkenness | Harm | XIX century | Healthy lifestyle | Australia and new Zealand