Alcoholism among Victorians Essay -- Victorian Era

Liquor abuse among Victorians Wrayburn: â€Å"It will be vital, I think, to wrap up Mr. Dolls, before anything to any human reason can be escaped him. Cognac, Mr. Dolls, or - ?† Mr. Dolls: â€Å"Threepenn’orth Rum.† - Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens All through Victorian culture â€Å"gin was the favored soul of the lower class, while wine and cognac were guzzled by the more agreeable citizenry† (Alcoholic Beverages 12). During the nineteenth century, the Victorians had exclusive standards of their group framework to ensure the classes were particular and appropriately spoke to. They â€Å"valued controlled, hopeful behavior† and would endure nothing less (Harding Victorians and Alcohol). There was a â€Å"cultural esteem set on teetotaling,† all out forbearance from mixed beverages, yet in spite of this worth â€Å"alcohol utilization turned into a famous pastime† (Harding Victorians and Alcohol). Conduct, for example, tipsiness was unequivocally objected to in view of its relationship with the lower class. Liquor abuse: Representation of the Working Class It was generally realized that â€Å"drunkenness, and the related loss of restraint, was related with the lower classes† and accordingly had negative undertones (Harding Victorians and Alcohol). Spirits, a famous hard alcohol, â€Å"had become the regular beverage for less rich people† and â€Å"laborers ordinarily utilized spirits to escape from their barren ordinary lives† (Harding Victorians and Alcohol). The horrendous working and day to day environments of the regular workers added to their â€Å"hard, controlled, and repetitive life, [leading] to over the top drinking of hard liquor† (Harding Victorians and Alcohol). This over the top drinking would in some cases bring about open inebriation which was â€Å"regarded as against s... ...ss, Inc. 1996. 12. Distad, Merrill N. â€Å"Food and Diet.† Victorian Britain: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc. 1988. 304-307. Garwood, John. â€Å"Religious and good Character of the Pensioners, and Provisions made for their Instruction.† Social Investigation/Journalism †The Million-Peopled City. (1853): 94-96. 11 Mar. 2005 Harding, Stephen. â€Å"Alcohol.† Victorians’ Secrets. â€Å"Absinthe and Victorians.† Victorians’ Secrets. 2000. College of Texas at Arlington. 24 Feb. 2005. Kent, Christopher A. â€Å"Drink.† Twentieth-Century Britain: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1995. 239-240. Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Taming Drink: Women, Men, and Alcohol in America, 1870-1940 . Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998.