RESEARCH 
coiav:i:3sia>i 
iREROfiT ■■liil iWi ||| if ||S| Report of the 
LIQUOR RESEARCH 
COMMISSION 
to the Legislature 
1947 
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE Report of the 
LIQUOR RESEARCH 
COMMISSION 
to the Legislature 
1947 
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE PRINTED BY 
GRANITE STATE PRESS, INC 
MANCHESTER, N. H. In the 1945 session of the New Hampshire General 
Court, a Joint Resolution was presented, empowering 
the Governor with the consent of the Council to 
appoint a Commission of seven to study the effects 
of alcohol in the State, consider methods for treating 
and rehabilitating alcoholics, and be concerned with 
materials for a program of education to prevent 
alcoholism. The support of the resolution was repre- 
sentative and general from people of all kinds of 
opinions about beverage alcohol, and the resolution was 
unanimously enacted. The text is as follows: 
“Resolved hy the Senate and House of Representa- 
tives in General Court convened: 
THAT the governor, with the advice and consent 
of the council, shall appoint a liquor research com- 
mission consisting of seven members and shall 
designate its chairman. Consideration in naming 
the commission shall be given to all interests con- 
cerned. Said commission shall gather as complete 
and accurate data as is possible relating to the 
physiological, psychological, economic and social 
effects of the use of alcoholic beverages in this state 
and shall give consideration and study to methods 
used in the treatment and rehabilitation of known 
alcoholics and shall be concerned with methods and 
materials to be used in a program of public educ- 
ation directed toward the prevention of the use of 
alcoholic beverages in excess. Said commission shall 
serve without pay but shall be reimbursed for travel 
and actual expenses, the same to be charged against 
the revenues of the state liquor commission. The 
liquor research commission shall file with the legis- 
INTRODUCTION 
3 4 
lature of 1947 a report of its findings and recom- 
mendations.” 
This, manifestly, is a broad resolution. To carry it 
out, His Excellency, Governor Charles M. Dale, with 
consent of the Council appointed in the summer of 
1945 the following personnel for the Commission: 
Rep. Clayton W. Wallace of Wolfeboro, president of 
the N. H. Christian Civic League, Chairman; Dr. 
Charles H. Dolloff, State Hospital Superintendent; 
Chairman William A. Jackson of the State Liquor Com- 
mission ; the Rev. Ernest A. Shepherd of Concord, pas- 
tor of the Baker Memorial Methodist church; Dr. 
Lloyd P. Young, president of Keene State Teachers Col- 
lege; ex-Rep. Richard J. Stilson, Pittsfield hotel pro- 
prietor, and Leon W. Anderson, Concord newspaper- 
man. It met early in the fall of 1945 to begin its work 
and had held two meetings when Mr. Wallace, accept- 
ing employment outside the State, resigned. The Com- 
mission’s personnel was reconstituted in March 1945 
with Dr, Dolloff as chairman, Mr. Anderson as secre- 
tary and Rep. Nathan A. Tirrell, of Goffstown, retired 
mail carrier, as the seventh member. 
Confronted by a serious limitation of time and a 
major responsibility, the Commission felt it must have 
the assistance of competent investigators trained in 
social research and must select for intensive investi- 
gation, areas within the authorization of the reso- 
lution, rather than attempt an inclusive, but of neces- 
sity, diffuse study. For the intensive investigation 
the following fields were chosen as most needful: a 
program of education about alcohol for the public 
schools, an estimation of the extent of inebriety* in 
New Hampshire, and a survey of the facilities needed 
for its control or reduction. 
For the first, a program of alcohol education for 
* For the defined meaning of this word as used in the report, see page 
thirty-nine of the report. 5 
the public schools, it was arranged through Dr. Young, 
as a member of the Commission, to have Miss Dorothy 
M. McGeoch and Mr. Arthur J. Giovannangeli of the 
faculty of Keene State Teachers College attend the 
Summer School of Alcohol Studies at Yale University 
and submit to the Commission findings about public 
school programs. To facilitate other parts of the 
Commission’s investigations about inebriety, Pro- 
fessor Michael Choukas, member of the Department 
of Sociology of Dartmouth College and Leon C. 
Eckman, graduate of the University of New Hamp- 
shire, were employed. 
In the study, usual procedures were followed. The 
Commission met at regular intervals of every two 
weeks to receive and study the findings of its investi- 
gators. A total of fifteen meetings have been held by 
the Commission. Early in the work Dr. E. W. 
Jellinek, Director of the Section of Alcohol Studies of 
the Laboratory of Applied Physiology of Yale Uni- 
versity, and Dr. Selden D. Bacon, Assistant Professor 
of Sociology at Yale, and Chairman of the Connecticut 
Board for the Fund for Inebriates, met the Commis- 
sion and gave valuable guidance. One public hearing 
was held November 6, 1946 at which time a number of 
interested people appeared to speak. Representatives 
of the Commission separately visited Yale University 
for further study and held lengthly interviews 
with Raymond G. McCarthy, Director of the Yale Plan 
Clinic and Dr. Jellinek. The information and advice 
given was of inestimable value and furnished excellent 
guidance during the whole undertaking. 
Having obtained what was considered to be an ade- 
quate background for further research, six question- 
naires were prepared and mailed to the groups within 
the State most directly concerned with the subject 
under study and, therefore, most likely to furnish the 
information about conditions in New Hampshire. 6 
Doctors, clergymen, chiefs of police, judges, head- 
masters and principals of secondary schools both 
public and private, and both public and private 
hospitals were chosen. 
The response received from these groups far ex- 
ceeded expectations. Ordinarily, a 15-20% return on 
a questionnaire is considered as highly successful by 
statisticians. In this case, a total of 1555 question- 
naires (excluding those sent to the 43 hospitals, 22 of 
which replied) were mailed and 496 or a percentage of 
31.9 were returned with answers. Practically every 
group exceeded the normal expectation of a 15-20% 
return. 
Specifically, the number of questionnaires sent to the 
respective groups and the number returned were as 
follows: 
Questionnaires 
Sent Returned 
Percentage 
Chiefs of Police . 
. 220 
48 
21.8 
Clergymen 
. 526 
119 
22.5 
Doctors 
. 560 
197 
35.2 
Educators 
. 167 
88 
52.7 
Judges 
82 
44 
53.7 
A word as to the nature of questions asked in the 
questionnaires sent to these groups. The questions 
were of two types: (a) those aimed at eliciting 
factual information which would help appraise the 
extent of the problem in the State, such as the number 
of alcoholics contacted by doctors, clergymen and 
chiefs of police; and (b) those that would bring forth 
attitudes of the various groups either with respect to 
those affected by alcohol, or the measures that may be 
recommended for future action, such as informational 
centers, clinics, hospitals, etc. The questionnaire sent 
to the hospitals contained questions primarily of the 
first type. 7 
RELATIONSHIP OF QUESTIONNAIRES 
RELEASED AND REPLIES RECEIVED 
RELEASED( 
REPLIES 
82 
53.7% 
TOTAL QUESTIONNAIRES 
RELEASED- 1555 
REPLIES 31.9% 
REPLIES-52.7% 
RELEASED-220 
RELEASEO-167 
131,9% I 
REPLIES-21.8% 
REPLIES 35 2% 
RELEASED -526 
RELEASED-560 
REPLIES-22 5°/o 8 
Interviews were held with chiefs of police and other 
public officials, especially those directing relief 
agencies. The results of these interviews have been 
incorporated into the main body of this survey. 
Attention is called to two facts that must be borne in 
mind if research work is to continue beyond the stage 
marked by this survey; first, the serious lack of uni- 
formity in the handling of records by the chiefs of 
police—which is largely due to a variety of individual 
systems of classifying and handling inebriates; second, 
no record of alcohol as a causative factor in cases on 
relief. Time and again the investigators with the so- 
cial workers in charge went over lists of persons on 
relief in an effort to determine the extent to which 
drinking was a factor in public relief. In every case, 
they reported, they had to rely on personal knowledge 
of the cases on the part of the social worker, as no 
such indication was to be found in the records. Such 
and other mechanical obstacles, however, were amply 
compensated by the warmth of responsiveness that 
discussions of the problems of alcohol almost invari- 
ably elicited. 
The results of the Commission’s studies are em- 
bodied in the report, a survey which should be con- 
sidered as only one step toward the effort to organize 
any program for dealing with the problems arising 
from the excessive use of alcohol. The problems are 
both numerous and complex—complex as the network 
of human relationships out of which they spring. 
Answers to such questions were sought and con- 
sidered : 
1. What is the nature and extent of the problems 
created within the State by the excessive use of 
alcoholic beverages? 
2. What facilities either official or private exist for 
dealing with such problems ? 9 
8. What should be done in the future and what kind 
Of recommendations should the Commission make 
to the General Court? 
An effort was made to determine the approximate 
number within the State of that ultimate product of 
excessive drinking, the alcoholic; the factors that 
operate to produce him; his place in the social schemes 
of things; how he is regarded by those he comes into 
contact with because of his drinking; the chances of 
rehabilitating him; the chances of reducing the num- 
ber in the future and the measures to be taken for 
doing so. 
The answers are given in this report which has five 
sections other than the Introduction. Section I is a 
general survey of scientific findings about the physi- 
ological and psychological effects of alcohol. Section 
II is a review of the present state system for the dis- 
tribution of alcoholic beverages. Included in this is a 
summary of the state law and review of the reports of 
the Liquor Commission. It is within this legal frame- 
work and the resulting network of distribution and 
control that problems relating to the use of alcohol 
are viewed. Section III contains the summary of the 
survey about the problems arising in New Hampshire 
from the excessive consumption of alcohol. Section IV 
is a proposed plan for public school education about 
alcohol. Section V is the recommendations the Com- 
mission submits. 
Three things are now manifest to the Commission as 
it submits this report to the General Court: first, the 
complexity of the problem of alcohol does not permit 
study of it as a whole but only of its parts and those 
in such a way as to permit correlations of findings; 
second, the problem of alcohol cannot be solved by 
legal enactments alone but requires broad social 
measures, educational programs, and scientific study 
and treatment; third, that any solutions proposed for 10 
the problem of alcohol must be based on knowledge 
and research; must be impartial and accurate; and 
conducted by representative and disinterested people. 
While this study is not comprehensive, it is adequate 
to justify and support the recommendations which are 
submitted and it serves to indicate further lines of in- 
vestigations and something of the scope of the prob- 
lem. It, which has been called “the fourth public 
health problem” of the nation, certainly merits the 
continuous concern of all citizens who desire to 
support the welfare of the public with the marshalled 
resources of society. 
The Commission wishes to express its appreciation 
to Governor Dale for his sympathetic interest in, and 
support of. the Commission’s efforts, and to all others 
who directly or indirectly gave encouragement and 
assistance. It is particularly grateful to the person- 
nel of the State Planning and Development Commission 
for its time and effort in preparing the illuminating 
and attractive charts and graphs contained in the re- 
port. SECTION I 
PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL 
EFFECTS 
A. Alcohol’s Immediate Effect as a Sedative and 
Intoxicant.1 
The most commonly seen physiological effect of 
alcohol, that of intoxication, is symptomatic of 
alcohol’s most characteristic biological result, direct 
action on the central nervous system and the disturb- 
ance of its functions. The central nervous system is 
extremely sensitive to alcohol. As alcohol is absorbed, 
the higher nerve centers are first depressed, the judg- 
ment is impaired, and the depression of the central 
nervous system descends with increasing amounts of 
alcohol in the blood stream until muscular coordina- 
tion is disturbed. The drinker walks unevenly, per- 
haps staggers or falls. With a still greater concen- 
tration of alcohol, he loses consciousness, the higher 
nerve centers stop functioning, and we have the “dead 
drunk.” 
The intoxicating effects of alcohol arise from its 
functional effect on the brain, and all the symptoms of 
intoxication, such as heavy speech and awkward walk- 
ing, are the indirect results of the disturbance of the 
central nervous system. 
It is also believed that such concentrations of 
alcohol in the blood do not cause organic damage to the 
brain and it does not damage cell structure, though it 
does change its functioning, the manifestation of 
which we have as intoxication. 
(1) The material for this section is taken from the lecture, “The Physiological 
Effects of Large and Small Amounts of Alcohol” by Dr. Howard W. Haggard, 
printed in Alcohol, Science and Society, p. S9ff. 
11 12 
Another “fundamental” or general effect is the 
action of alcohol on the surfaces of the body, particu- 
larly the inner surface lining of the digestive tract. 
Alcohol, under certain conditions, may cause a direct 
irritation of this surface. If strong alcoholic solutions 
are swallowed, the lining of the digestive tract is 
irritated. The first sign of this is again through the 
nervous system. The nerve endings in throat and 
esophagus are affected, and in response there is a re- 
flex action. A deep breath is taken and the heart 
beats faster. These two stimulations—the only stimu- 
lations from alcohol—are not from absorbed alcohol; 
they come before absorption takes place and are very 
brief. 
This irritation can cause inflammation, and we find 
among people who take strong drinks “neat” a 
whiskey tenor or chronic gastritis. These are the 
only direct irritant actions of alcohol on the body. 
Other physiological effects than irritation of sur- 
faces and the functional disturbance of the central 
nerve system are seen in the functions of the kidneys, 
liver, stomach, and possibly adrenal glands. It is not 
known with certainty whether these effects are due to 
nervous factors or direct effect on the activity of the 
organs or glands. 
It is now believed that alcohol has no direct or detri- 
mental action on the kidneys, and recent studies have 
indicated that diuresis results indirectly from alcohol’s 
effect on the pituitary gland. This gland’s secretion 
of an anti-diuretic element is diminished by alcohol, 
and thus restraint on the kidneys is lifted. 
The liver has as one of its functions the storage of 
sugar in the form of glycogen. Following the intake 
of large amounts of alcohol, the glycogen is recon- 
verted to sugar and passed into the blood. The sugar 
concentration thus rises and glycogen is depleted in 13 
the liver. There is, so far as is known, no harmful 
results from this. 
Alcohol in moderate amounts leads to an increase of 
gastric juice and to contraction of the stomach. Then 
the feeling of hunger occurs. However, there is no 
evidence that alcohol causes ulcers, nor do moderate 
amounts of alcohol interfere with digestion, while 
deep intoxication stops it completely. 
Large amounts of alcohol may affect the so called 
“water balance” of the body. In deep intoxication the 
normally large amount of water in the body is shifted 
from within the cells to outside and between the cells, 
but beyond causing thirst this seems to have little 
significance. 
Vitamin C and vitamin B are decreased after severe 
intoxication, but little is known about how this 
happens or what it means. 
It can only be said that, for all the research in the 
effect of alcohol on the body, its physiology is complex 
and much remains to be known; while the most im- 
portant feature of the excessive use of alcohol is not 
so much danger from disease but the broader social 
implications of alcohol’s effect on human behavior. 
B. The Non-Specific, Indirect Effects of a More Per- 
sistent Nature Resulting from Dietary Deficiency.1 
Prominent consideration must be given in the study 
of the physical effects of alcohol to the nutritional de- 
ficiencies, those non-specific, indirect results, which 
can come from its prolonged excessive use over many 
years. There are four direct effects of alcohol on 
nutrition. First, there is diminished hunger and in- 
take of food; second, lessened utilization of the food 
that is eaten; third, an increased need for certain food 
(1) The material for this section is taken from the lecture, “Alcohol and 
nutrition: The Diseases of Chronic Alcoholism” by Dr. Norman Jolliffe, 
printed in Alcohol, Science and Society, p. 73 ff. 14 
elements and fourth, a substitution of alcohol calo- 
ries for other food which meets body needs other than 
energy. It is this last effect which needs to be con- 
sidered in some detail. 
During excessive use over a period of years, a 
drinker obtains his calories from alcohol which is rich 
in energy. As such it provides seven calories per 
gram or 200 calories per ounce. A gram of carbohy- 
drates furnishes four calories and an ounce 114 
calories. Fat has nine calories to a gram and 270 
calories to an ounce. Alcohol stands in between 
carbohydrates and fats in its caloric content. 
There are other distinctions between these foods at 
the point of their utilization and storage. The body 
seems to hold in reserve any calories from fats or 
carbohydrates which are in excess of the body’s daily 
needs, but there is little storage of calories from 
alcohol. Some of the alcohol taken in is eliminated in 
the breath and urine, but the rest is burned in the 
body. If a man drinks more than he can burn up in 
one day, some remains for use in the next twenty-four 
hours, but none remains as stored energy. 
An average man of 154 pounds could oxidize 1600 
calories as the maximum amount of alcohol for any 
twenty-four hours. This is about the number of 
calories in the alcohol of a pint of whiskey. The 
average rate of energy for this man is about 2500 
calories for any twenty-four hours. Consequently, if 
he drank a pint of whiskey a day, most of his calories 
would be coming from the alcohol rather than some 
other form. 
The body needs vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbo- 
hydrates and fats as well as calories. The body in its 
intake of food must have a vitamin-calorie relation- 
ship so that for a certain amount of calories 
taken in, there must also be a certain number 
of vitamins, in order to have health and avoid nutri- 15 
tional deficiencies. It can easily be seen then that a 
person taking in large amounts of alcohol takes in 
calories which have little or no other food values. 
Doing this over a period of years, the deficiencies 
within the diet may result in the diseases which are 
caused by lack of proper calorie-vitamin relationship. 
There is one disease which is associated in the 
popular thinking with alcoholism: cirrhosis of the 
liver. Nutritional factors may be causal elements in 
this disorder, but this has not been conclusively 
demonstrated as yet. 
It is to be repeated that all of these effects asso- 
ciated with the excessive use of alcohol are not caused 
directly by alcohol. They arise from nutritional or 
other deficiencies which may and do occur without 
alcoholic consumption. But because excessive amounts 
of alcohol interfere with a normal diet, they do occur 
more frequently then. 
C. Psychological Effects of Small Amounts of Alcohol.1 
When any review of the psychological effects of 
alcohol is attempted, there is some disappointment 
that experimental psychology has not investigated this 
fertile field as widely as might be expected, and has 
given little information by way of the effect of alcohol 
on the total behavior of a person. While there is con- 
siderable agreement about the gross effect of alcohol 
in frank intoxication, there has been little agreement 
as to the effects of other amounts of alcohol. Con- 
sequently, most of the attempts of psychology have 
been along the lines of kinds, order and degrees of 
effect from small and moderate amounts of alcohol on 
the nervous functions. Quantitative findings can be 
reported from these experiments. 
(1) The material for this section is taken from the lecture “Effects of 
Small Amounts of Alcohol on Psychological Functions” by Dr. E. M. Jellmek, 
printed in Alcohol, Science and Society, p. 83 ff. 16 
In nearly 200 psychological investigations of vary- 
ing degrees of scientific worth, there is in the total 
studies evidence of a trend. None of the psycho- 
logical functions studied showed any stimulation from 
any amount of alcohol; all the functions were actually 
depressed, even though that depression in some in- 
stances was so slight as to be negligible. 
In studying fatigue and muscular strength it was 
shown that while the sense of well being comes from 
drinking, there was no real relief from fatigue, and 
muscular strength as measured by a special apparatus 
showed a decrease of ten per cent. 
The ability to distinguish between slight differences 
in light and sound was decreased by 30 to 50 per cent, 
but the differences were of such fine degree as to have 
no practical significance. 
Tests in reaction time also showed a slowing down 
from 6 to 34 per cent according to the amount of 
alcohol taken in. Perception also followed this same 
trend as high as 10 per cent. Tests in continuous adding 
were lowered in adults by 13 per cent while in memo- 
rizing, the subject took twice as long for 25 lines of 
poetry when he had taken a glass and a half of 
whiskey on an “empty stomach.” 
The speed of the eye in following an object moved 
rapidly back and forth, decreased 3 per cent while 
dexterity on a fingerboard was decreased 19 per cent. 
In all of these experiments the effects were from 1 
to 3 ounces of alcohol or 2 to 6 ounces of whiskey 
measured thirty to sixty minutes after drinking. 
In drawing conclusions from these findings of ex- 
periments which have been based purely on laboratory 
tasks, about the only significant one is that alcohol 
is not a stimulant but a depressant of the central 
nervous system, that in small and moderate amounts 
it first affects the higher nerve centers, those centers 
which control voluntary behaviors and emotions. SECTION II 
REVIEW OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE LIQUOR 
AND BEER SYSTEMS 
A. The State Liquor Commission 
Shortly after the repeal of the 18th amendment, the 
New Hampshire State Liquor Commission was estab- 
lished by a special session of the General Court as an 
agency to supervise and control the sale of beer and 
alcoholic beverages. 
The Commission was given a dual responsibility. 
Not only was it charged with conducting the state 
monopoly as a business enterprise, but it was em- 
powered to act as an enforcement and control agency, 
working with state and local police to guard against 
abuses of the system. 
This Commission consists of three men appointed by 
the Governor with the consent of the Executive Coun- 
cil, one of whom is appointed Chairman, with not 
more than two belonging to the same political party. 
The Commission is authorized to employ necessary 
personnel for the proper transaction of its business 
(salaries must be approved by the Governor and the 
Council); to take precautions to insure the purity and 
freedom from misbranding of all liquors sold; to lease 
and equip stores, warehouses and other merchandising 
facilities for the sale of liquor, to appoint special 
agents to investigate complaints or any matters aris- 
ing under the provisions of the liquor law; to operate 
State Liquor Stores, at the Commission’s discretion, in 
towns and cities as may express desire through a 
referendum to have them; to license establishments 
that dispense beer and liquor, and to make rules and 
regulations (which have the effect of law) to carry 
out the provisions of the liquor law. 18 
At the end of this section are schedules and charts 
that summarize the operation of the Commission from 
1987, (when the last Liquor Survey Commission pub- 
lished its report) through 1945. In the following 
paragraphs are tables and charts which when viewed 
in their totality illustrate the growth and expansion of 
the liquor and beer systems. 
B. The Sale of Liquor 
New Hampshire is one of 17 states that now use the 
monopoly system. “The primary motives that led 
states from the eastern seaboard to the Pacific coast 
to adopt the state monopoly system may be stated as 
follows: to eliminate the private profit incentive in 
the sale of liquor, to provide a rich new source of state 
revenue, to maintain a strict form of social control 
over the traffic in a commodity that is inherently 
susceptible of abuse, and to give purchasers assurance 
that the goods they purchase are legal, tax-paid, pure 
in quality, and exactly as represented in every partic- 
ular and at a reasonable priced1) 
With the State Liquor Commission acting as an 
agent of the State for the sale of liquor it follows that 
the policy of pricing the various brands and allotting 
quotas to the various stores and licensees is also its 
task. Setting a price becomes a matter of com- 
promising and reconciling one consideration with an- 
other contrary consideration. “The price policy of the 
State Stores must be to maintain price levels high 
enough to discourage excessive consumption, low 
enough to keep out or discourage the bootlegger, at a 
level to meet competition in neighboring states and 
sufficient to produce substantial profits for state 
revenue.” (2) 
(1) 1937 Liquor Survey Commission Report, Page 7. 
(2) 1937 Liquor Survey Commission Report, Page 7. 19 
The Liquor Commission, then, is in effect the one 
liquor wholesaler in the State. It purchases its stock 
from reputable distillers, manufacturers and import- 
ers who ship it to the warehouse in Concord. Upon 
requisitions from stores and licensees it is shipped to 
them via licensed carriers. Industries, hospitals and 
other concerns that require alcohol for industrial or 
medicinal purposes may obtain same by applying to 
the Commission, whereas churches that require wine 
for sacramental purposes may purchase same from 
other sources. 
1. State Stores: 
There are, in the main, three catagories of retailers 
selling virtually all the liquor in the State; State 
Stores, hotels and clubs. Of these the greatest amount 
is sold by the State Stores. 
Certain considerations are prerequisite to the open- 
ing of a store. First the voters must have gone on 
record as favoring a State Liquor Store in that com- 
munity. Then a suitable location must be found. It 
cannot be located within 300 feet of a public or private 
school, church, chapel or parish house. The sales 
agents in the store must have resided in that com- 
munity for at least six months prior to appointment. 
The first stores were opened in Manchester, Nashua 
and Concord on August 17, 1934. By the end of the 
following year stores were operating in the following 
additional towns and cities; Berlin, Portsmouth, Little- 
ton, Claremont, Dover, Lebanon, Laconia, Somers- 
worth, Rochester and Keene. During the following 
year stores were added in Woodsville, Franklin, Cole- 
brook, Plymouth, Derry, Peterborough, Greenville, 
Conway, Newport, Exeter and Groveton. Later, 
stores were add in Suncook, Whitefield, Milford, Pena- 
cook, Salem, Hillsborough, East Jaffrey, Lancaster and 
Wolfeboro. To date there are 39 stores, five in Man- 20 
Chester, two in Nashua, two in Portsmouth and one in 
each of the other communities mentioned. 
The following table shows the store sales for each 
of the calendar years from 1937 through May 1946. 
On a separate table at the end of this section the 
monthly sale for the same period is shown in com- 
parison with sales to all other licensees. 
1937 $3,729,889.75 
1938 $3,545,928.35 
1939 $3,879,064.75 
1940 $4,476,219.75 
1941 $5,279,698.60 
1942 $6,788,482.54 
1943 $8,005,681.93 
1944 $9,841,136.30 
1945 $11,461,840.26 
1946 $14,162,686.26 
2. Clubs: 
The second largest dispensers of liquor are the 128 
clubs now licensed to sell liquor by the glass to bona 
fide members and guests. 
For a club to be eligible for a liquor license it must 
be located in a town that favors the sale of liquor and 
beer, and to be incorporated under the laws of the State 
or be affiliated with a national organization and estab- 
lished in that town or city for at least one year. The 
law prescribes that these licensed clubs shall sell for 
convenience only and at a reasonable profit determined 
by the Commission. To insure that this is carried out 
the Commission requires of each club licensee each 
month a detailed report showing the income from the 
liquor sold and the expenses that are properly charge- 
able to that part of the business. 
The following table shows the number of licenses 
issued to clubs from 1937 through 1946: 
1937 56 
1938 61 
1939 84 
1940 94 
1941 95 
1942 93 
1943 91 
1944 97 
1945 110 
1946 128 21 
There were no figures available on the amount of 
gallons sold to clubs but the following table shows the 
amount of liquor purchased by the clubs from the 
Commission: (U 
1944 $536,893.60 
1945 $743,928.36 
1946 $1,072,924.24 
Hotels: 
The Cammission may at its discretion issue a license 
to any first class hotel to sell liquor by the glass and 
wine by the bottle, if the cork is removed, to hone fide 
guests with meals in the dining room, or in the rooms 
of such guests. In towns or cities that have gone on 
record as not accepting the provisions of Chapter 170 
of the Revised Laws, a first class hotel is eligible for 
a license notwithstanding, provided it agrees not to 
serve wine or liquor to residents of that community. 
Under an act passed by the General Court of 1945 a 
further provision was made whereby hotels qualifying 
as above may obtain a license to serve liquor in any 
room provided it has no immediate entrance on any 
public way—“Except that no hotel in a town voting 
not to accept the provisions of this chapter may obtain 
such a special license unless it is classified by the Com- 
mission as a resort hotel and the sale of liquor be re- 
stricted to bona fide guests.’' 
The following table shows the number of licenses 
issued by the Commission from 1937 to 1946, and the 
amount of liquor purchased during the years 1944 and 
1945. 
<>1) From data furnished by the Liquor Commission. Figures pertain to fiscal 
year ending June 30. 22 
Hotel 
Hotel Special 
Am’t Purchased 
1937 
41 
16 
1938 
44 
19 
1939 
54 
20 
1940 
65 
23 
1941 
68 
25 
1942 
62 
22 
1943 
41 
12 
1944 
57 
24 
$122,898.47 
1945 
78 
46 
$153,675.44 
1946 
101 
70 
The prices charged by the hotels are arbitrary, but 
the Commission has the power to suspend or revoke the 
license of any licensee if it finds after notice and hear- 
ing that the profit made from the sale of liquor by 
such licensee is unreasonable and excessive. 
3. Drug Stores: 
Another category of licensees are the druggists. 
Under the provisions of the law any retail druggist 
may obtain a license to sell liquor for medicinal pur- 
poses upon the prescription of a physician practicing 
in the State. During the past year only a few 
druggists applied for such a license, the number hav- 
ing constantly decreased from 24 in 1937 to 6 in 1945. 
4. Dining Cars: 
The only licensees that are not required to purchase 
liquor from the Commission are dining car licensees. 
Since 1937 only three railroad or car corporations 
have regularly applied for such licenses. The only 
provisions concerning the sale of liquor on trains are 
that the liquor and beverages must be drunk in the 
dining car and only while the train is enroute from 
one terminal to another. 
C. The Sale of Beer 
Unlike the Liquor System the beer system is quite 
decentralized. The Commission is not responsible for 23 
buying the product and selling it to retail agencies. 
Instead it grants permits to wholesalers who buy the 
beer in bottles and barrels and distribute it to licensed 
restaurants, hotels, drug stores, and grocery stores. 
But this does not necessarily indicate that there is less 
rigid control over the system. No one can manu- 
facture any beverage in the State without first having 
obtained a permit. No wholesaler can sell any bever- 
age without a permit, nor can he purchase beverages 
from any manufacturer from outside the State who 
does not hold a certificate of approval obtained from 
the Commission. Beverages may be transported only 
by common carriers that have first obtained a carrier 
permit. Wholesalers’ vehicles used to transport bever- 
ages must also be licensed. 
Before a person desiring a permit may obtain same, 
he must first sign a statement setting forth the name 
and address of the owner of the premises upon which 
the business is to be conducted. In addition the Com- 
mission must be satisfied that the applicant is financi- 
ally responsible, that he is of good moral character, 
that he intends to superintend the business himself or 
by a person approved by the Commission, that in the 
case of an applicant for an off-sale or on-sale permit 
no manufacturer or wholesaler of beverages has a sub- 
stantial financial interest, direct or indirect, in the 
business or in the premises, and that the proposed 
location is an appropriate one, considering the number 
of similar permits issued in that neighborhood. Be- 
fore granting such a permit the Commissioners hear a 
report submitted by one of the enforcement agents 
who had previously investigated the applicant and 
conferred with local police and citizens and obtained 
their opinions. 
The retail sale of beer falls into two categories; on- 
sale and off-sale. On-sale permits are obtained by 
clubs, hotels, and restaurants who serve beer by the 24 
bottle or on draught for consumption on the premises. 
Off-sale permits are obtained by grocery stores and 
drug stores that sell beer by the bottle or can only for 
consumption off the premises. 
There are many rules and regulations governing the 
sale of on-sale and off-sale beer, for in addition to the 
law the Commission issues directives periodically to 
all permittees in order to cope with new problems as 
they arise. Among the more important of these are 
the following; no beverage or liquor may be sold ex- 
cept between the hours of 6:00 a. m. and 10:45 p. m.: 
no hotel or club may sell or serve beverages or liquor 
on Sunday before 12:00 noon: no club permittee or 
licensee may serve beer or liquor after 8:45 p. m. on 
Sunday: nor may a hotel permittee or licensee allow 
beer or liquor to be consumed on the premises after 
11:00 p. m. on Sundays. 
Permittees may not allow any loitering on the 
premises. Minors may not be served. No beer or 
beverage may be sold for credit, except by hotel per- 
mittees; no beverages may be sold or served in con- 
tainers that do not bear the original label. Permit- 
tees and/or their waiters or waitresses may not con- 
sume beverages on the premises with their customers. 
No permittee or licensee may give beverages or liquor 
to members or guests in the form of free drinks. All 
on-sale permittees must comply with local and state 
board of health directives in the cleaning of draft 
equipment, glasses and utensils. The premises must 
be kept in a clean and sanitary condition at all times. 
D. Revenue; 
In addition to the Federal tax the State levies a tax 
of three dollars on every barrel of beverages contain- 
ing not more than 31 gallons. This tax is paid by the 
retailer but collected by the wholesaler who submits it 
to the Commission on or before the tenth day of each 25 
month along with a list showing how much was 
collected from each retail permittee. Last year a total 
of $948,912.80 was collected by the Commission from 
the beer wholesalers in the State. 
E. Disposition of Income: 
According to law, every six months all net revenue 
from the sale of liquor is to be transferred to the 
Special Fund constituted by Chapter 126 of the Laws 
of 1931 (an act providing a Special Fund for the Re- 
habilitation of the Treasury Balances and the Retire- 
ment of State Indebtedness) and distributed in accord- 
ance therewith. 
All income from beer operations shall be paid by the 
Commission to the State Treasurer. The expense of 
administration and other expenses provided for shall 
be paid by the Treasurer on warrants of the Gover- 
nor with the advice and consent of the Council. The 
balance shall be covered into the Special Fund except- 
ing two of the three dollar tax collected on each barrel 
of beverages shall be payable to the General Fund. 
F. Local Option: 
Reference has previously been made to the system 
whereby towns and cities express their vote as to 
whether they desire that liquor and/or beer be sold in 
their community. 
The law provides that at each biennial election the 
following questions be placed on the ballot: (a) 
“Shall State Stores be operated by permission of the 
State Liquor Commission in this city or town?” and 
(b) “Shall beverages as defined in Chapter 170 of the 
Revised Laws be sold in this town or city under per- 
mits granted by the State Liquor Commission?” 
Only if the majority of voters answer “yes” to (a) 
may the Commission at its discretion establish a State 
Store in that city or town. Only if the majority of 26 
voters answer “yes” to question (b) may the Com- 
mission at its discretion issue permits for the sale of 
beverages in that city or town. Appended to this re- 
port are charts that trace the trend of cities and 
towns and total state vote in answering this referen- 
dum. The tendency toward the affirmative has almost 
always been on the up-trend. It is for this reason 
that we base many of our recommendations on the 
premise that the majority favors the continuance of 
the present system and that the present system will 
continue. 27 
FAVOR STATE LIQUOR STORES 
FAVOR SALE OF BEER 
LIQUOR-BEER REFERENDUM RESULTS 
BY TOTAL STATE VOTE 
IN FAVOR 
OPPOSE STATE LIQUOR STORES 
OPPOSE SALE OF BEER 
OPPOSED 28 
HOTEL SPECIAL 
LIQUOR LICENSES ISSUED 
HOTEL 
DINING CAR 
I DRUG 
CLUB 
FlSCAL YEAR , 
license fee 
..JUNEL- 29 
GALLONAGE SALES 
OTHER 
. IQUORS 
i 
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS 
TOTAL SALES OF DISTILLED SPIRITS 
WINES AND OTHER LIQUORS 
-WINES 
DISTILLED 
SPIRITS 
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS 
DOLLAR SALES 30 
SUMMARY OF INCOME AND OPERATING EXPENSES 
OPERATING COST-LIQUOR 
Included in “Operating Cost”—Liquor: ‘Administration,” “Liquor Enforcement,” “Store Operations,” 
“Warehouse Operations.” 
Included in “Operating Cost’’—Beer: Salaries, Rent, Insurance, Telephone and Telegraph, Heat and 
Light, Repairs, Supplies, Equipment, Traveling Expense, Mileage, Association Fees, Miscellaneous. 
OPERATING COST-BEER 
NET INCOME - LIQUOR 
NET INCOME -BEER 
THOUSAND S 
1937-1945 31 
MONTHLY SALES 
TO 
STATE STOR.ES AND LICENSEES 
FOR THE YEAR 1945 
D. O l_ L_ A R S 
MONTHLY SALES TO STATE STORES 
MONTHLY SALES TO LICENSEES 
JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC SECTION III 
THE PROBLEM OF ALCOHOL IN 
NEW HAMPSHIRE 
A general picture of the legal provisions under 
which the State Liquor Commission carries on its 
operations, and the extent of these operations, was 
given in the previous section. 
This section will describe the role alcohol is playing 
as a problem-producing agent; the efforts on the part 
of both official and private groups to deal with the 
various problems; and the views of various groups on 
what can be done for a more successful approach to 
these problems. 
A. Nature and extent of specific problems within the 
State Resulting from the Excessive Use of Alcohol. 
1. Alcohol and the Doctor: 
In order to determine the extent to which in- 
dividuals have been led by the excessive use of alcohol 
to seek medical attention, doctors were asked the 
following question; “About how many people have 
you treated during the past year for (a) acute in- 
toxication; (b) chronic alcoholism; (c) illness in 
which drinking was a related factor?” 
Of the 197 doctors replying 98, or 49.7%, reported 
having treated 672 cases for acute intoxication; 107, 
or 54.3%, gave treatment to 569 chronic alcoholics; 
and 90, or 45.6%, reported treating an illness in which 
drinking was a related factor. 
This gives only a rough estimate of the medical by- 
products of the excessive consumption of alcohol. It 
would not be safe, for instance, to assume that an 
accurate estimate of the actual extent of health prob- 33 
lems produced by the excessive use of alcohol would 
be obtained if the number of cases reported by the 
doctors who answered were multiplied by 3 in order 
to take into consideration about two-thirds of the 
doctors who did not reply. Only further, and continu- 
ous, investigation could disclose the real dimensions 
of this phase of the alcohol problem. 
2. Alcohol and the Law: 
In the effort to ascertin the extent to which the ex- 
cessive use of alcohol presents the law enforcement 
authorities with problems of control, it was decided 
to limit this study to the more serious aspects of such 
problems, and rely mainly upon direct sources for in- 
formation, such as the Chiefs of police, the Liquor 
Commission, the Department of Public Welfare, and 
the Motor Vehicle Department. 
The chiefs of police were asked to give an “average” 
of the number of persons arrested in their community 
each month showing signs of acute intoxication. 
The 48 (21.8%) who replied reported a monthly 
average of 455 (430 men and 25 women) arrests. 
Even with such a small number of chiefs of police 
reporting, the expectation of an annual average of 
5460 arrests far exceeds any total in all the cities and 
nine of the towns during the past three years as in- 
dicated in the following table. No explanation of this 
is ventured, however, except that the past three years 
were war years with a great number of the man- 
potential for drunkenness away. And if this happens 
to be largely the cause, it is reasonable to assume that 
the problem of drunkenness is bound to increase in 
seriousness in the immediate future. 34 
CITIES 
1942 
(July-Dee.) 
Drunk 
Arrests Driving 
Arrests 
1943 
Drunk 
Driving 
1944 
Arrests 
Drunk 
Driving 
1945 
Arrests 
Drunk 
Driving 
(Jan.-June) 
1946 
Drunk 
Arrests Driving 
Berlin 
223 
5 
216 
6 
230 
8 
425 
16 
222 
7 
Concord 
98 
17 
222 
9 
227 
18 
293 
24 
167 
15 
Dover 
72 
3 
144 
6 
193 
15 
212 
16 
88 
5 
Franklin 
41 
6 
52 
6 
34 
6 
53 
7 
34 
23 
Keene 
238 
1 
465 
4 
313 
236 
149 
4 
Laconia 
70 
6 
107 
4 
78 
6 
96 
12 
71 
13 
Manchester 
420 
18 
993 
27 
1016 
33 
1064 
51 
685 
34 
Nashua 
298 
12 
584 
23 
620 
13 
658 
2 
Portsmouth 
267 
14 
519 
26 
446 
10 
391 
8 
168 
2 
Rochester 
55 
10 
91 
13 
86 
13 
92 
5 
62 
9 
Somersworth ... . 
24 
2 
61 
2 
28 
6 
30 
12 
14 
11 
TOWNS 
Ashland 
11 
2 
8 
1 
6 
1 
14 
8 
5 
Claremont 
88 
9 
137 
12 
119 
15 
163 
16 
East Jaffrey 
4 
2 
9 
2 
7 
6 
Haverhill 
11 
2 
27 
5 
37 
7 
26 
4 
14 
Lebanon 
52 
13 
55 
17 
65 
14 
66 
13 
40 
6 
Lincoln 
14 
1 
47 
3 
90 
1 
88 
2 
54 
Littleton 
21 
2 
36 
2 
Peterboro 
11 
2 
21 
3 
9 
3 
10 
2 
7 
5 
Plymouth 
53 
8 
49 
3 
59 
2 
45 
4 
31 
3 
Totals 
2071 
135 
3852 
172 
3558 
171 
3969 
196 
1817 
117 
ARRESTS FOR DRUNKENNESS AND DRUNKEN DRIVING 
(Data Obtained from Liquor Commission) 35 
ARRESTS FOR DRUNKENNESS AND DRUNKEN DRIVING 
[DATA OBTAINED FROM LIQUOR COMMISSION) 
DRUNKENNESS 
DRIVING 36 
In the previous table, arrests for drunkenness and 
drunken driving since July 1942 (when the Liquor 
Commission began recording such date) are given. 
It must be borne in mind that the data do not apply 
to the whole State, but only the cities and the nine 
towns that the Liquor Commission have chosen as a 
base. 
In an effort to obtain a more complete picture of the 
relation of alcohol and the driving of automobiles, the 
following table was obtained from the Motor Vehicle 
Department indicating the number of licenses revoked 
after conviction for operating under the influence of 
liquor. The period covered is nine years. The figures 
apply to the whole State. 
Year 
Licenses Issued 
Revoked after conviction 
for operating under 
influence of liquor 
1937 
159,664 
868 
1938 
159,754 
677 
1939 
203,624 
711 
1940 
204,431 
694 
1941 
175,589 
901 
1942 
161,481 
614 
1943 
157,462 
331 
1944 
139,967 
324 
1945 
158,598 
397 
1946 
190,940 
816 
From the Department of Public Welfare a table 
shows the proportion of the individuals sent to the 
Houses of Correction because of addiction to alcohol 
in relation to the total number of inmates during the 
year 1944-45. 37 
Number of Persons Committed to Houses of Correction 
Because of Intemperance* 
COUNTY 
Number of 
Prisoners during 
year 7/44-6/45 
Committed 
because of 
Intemferance 
Per cent 
Total 
956 
588 
61.5 
Belknap 
65 
36 
55.4 
Carroll 
66 
26 
39.4 
Cheshire . . .. 
86 
29 
33.7 
Coos 
83 
52 
62.7 
Grafton 
58 
30 
51.7 
Hillsborough . 
340 
256 
75.3 
Merrimack . . 
113 
72 
63.7 
Rockingham . 
90 
54 
60.0 
Strafford ... . 
Sullivan 
.. not reported 
55 
33 
60.0 
The proportion is obviously extremely large, con- 
sidering that intemperance is only one of many 
reasons for which individuals are committed to the 
Houses of Correction. Whether such confinement, 
however, is the proper solution will be discussed in an- 
other part of this report. 
3. Alcohol and Public Relief: 
What proportion of those on public relief are State 
wards because of the excessive use of alcohol either by 
them or other members of their families? 
This proved to be one of the most difficult questions 
to answer, as no data could be obtained on a sufficiently 
large scale. The Department of Public Welfare to 
which this question was proposed reported that it 
would be impossible to obtain an answer from the rec- 
ords in their possession as these records do not include 
alcohol as a factor in public relief. 
* Intemperance—term used by officials of Houses of Correction. 38 
AGE GROUP DISTRIBUTION OF PERSONS IN HOUSES OF CORRECTION 
BETWEEN JULY I 1944 AND JUNE 30 1945 BECAUSE OF INTEMPERANCE 
19 AND 
UNDER 
NUMBER OF PEOPLE 39 
In fact, further investigation showed that not only- 
do local relief authorities follow the same procedure— 
not listing alcohol as a factor—but in some cases re- 
lief is withdrawn upon discovery of drinking within 
the family. 
4. The Alcoholic: 
Dr. Jellinek has defined the various classes of drink- 
ers as follows: “By excessive drinkers we shall mean 
those persons who drink to an extent which exposes 
them to the risk of becoming compulsive drinkers and 
developing chronic alcoholism. By compulsive drink- 
ers—commonly called alcohol addicts—we shall mean 
drinkers who, athough they wish to stop drinking, are 
irresistibly driven to it through an unconquerable fear 
that without alcohol they will not be able to exist. By 
chronic alcoholics we mean persons who, in con- 
sequence of prolonged excessive drinking, have de- 
veloped a bodily disease or mental disorder, 
irrespective of whether they arrived at this stage 
through compulsive drinking or not. By inebriates 
we shall mean the aggregate of uncomplicated ex- 
cessive drinkers, compulsive drinkers, and chronic 
alcoholics.’^1) 
Research thus far has yielded the following con- 
clusions : 
1. The continuous use of intoxicating beverages 
may initiate in an individual a gradual physiological 
transformation giving him ultimately a physiological 
chemistry different from that of the average normal 
person. 
2. The same individual may gradually go through 
a process of mental development which ultimately 
would differentiate him from a normal person, such 
(1) Alcohol, Science and Society, p 23-24. New Haven, Quarterly Journal 
of Studies on Alcohol, 1945. 40 
differentiation becoming noticeable especially in the 
field of self-control, with the alcohol addict eventually 
losing all such control over his actions in so far as 
alcohol consumption is concerned. 
3. Both these physiological and mental changes 
exert a gradual but mounting influence upon the in- 
dividual’s network of social relations leading ulti- 
mately to the total loss of self-respect and that of his 
associates, and an eventual (both mentally and 
socially) isolated existence. 
4. Conversely, an individual’s physical, mental, 
and social attributes may be such that a desire for in- 
toxicating beverages is generated, the continuous 
satisfaction of which may by degrees increase his re- 
liance upon alcohol and turn the desire into a com- 
pulsion and the person into an addict. 
The number of alcohol addicts belonging to either of 
those two cycles has not as yet been determined. 
Doctors and clergymen were asked the following 
questions: 
“Comparing the alcoholic with the non-alcoholic 
patient or parishioner, would you say that the 
former is: 
a) Less co-operative 
b) More co-operative 
c) No different.” 
The overwhelming majority of both doctors and 
clergymen consider the alcoholic as a very unco- 
operative individual. 
Of the 172 doctors answering this question, 117 con- 
sider him definitely as less co-operative; 51 as no 
different; and only 4 as more co-operative. 
Of the clergymen, 96 answered this particular 
question. Of these, 77 believed the alcoholic as less 
co-operative; 13 as no different and 6 as more co- 
operative. 41 
Typical comments among both groups were as 
follows: 
“The alcoholic is absolutely unreliable. He can 
be temporarily co-operative but only the strictest, 
constant supervision has any chance of helping 
him to cooperate. He cannot without assistance.” 
—Clergyman 
“Most of them resent anything that takes away 
their liberty, such as obtaining alcoholic drink” 
—Doctor 
“I have found this to be strikingly true—in the 
sober state, alcoholics are much more helpful. Per- 
haps this is because, realizing their own shortcom- 
ings (and most of them do) they have a desire to 
promote the general welfare either as a sort of 
unconscious retribution for their failing or as an 
extrovert act in which they seek expression in the 
same way that they do in drinking.” —Clergyman 
It should be obvious that if the majority of opinions 
of these two groups reflects accurately a strong non- 
co-operative streak in the alcoholic, any proposals for 
future treatment and rehabilitation of alcoholics 
should embody measures for a strict supervision and 
direction of such treatment. 
Bearing on this same point — the question of re- 
habilitation — these same two groups were asked 
whether: 
a) Alcoholics can be permanently cured 
b) Alcoholics usually relapse 
Whereas approximately one out of four doctors be- 
lieves that the alcoholic is permanently curable, the 
clergymen were practically equally divided with 54 
answering “yes” to question (a) and 63 “yes” to (b). 
It must be pointed out, however, that many of the 
doctors who answered question (b) in the affirmative 
explained in their comments that they believe the 
alcoholic usually relapses chiefly because of the in- 
adequacy of the existing facilities of treatment. 42 
Some interesting clues as to how alcoholism is 
viewed by all five groups are reflected in their re- 
spective answers to the question: 
“To whom would you normally refer an alcoholic 
for treatment?” 
The following table presents a collective picture of 
the results which have been tabulated on the basis of 
each group’s choice of preference among several alter- 
natives. 
Hospital or 
Sanitarium 
Physician 
Psychiatrist 
A. A. 
Clergyman 
Other 
(Social) 
Doctors 
41.5% 
30.7% 
21.7% 
5.2% 
.9% 
Clergymen 
22.6% 
21.4% 
51.2% 
4.8% 
Chiefs of Police 
37.9% 
25 % 
22.9% 
7.1% 
7.1% 
Educators 
40.2% 
28 % 
26.1% 
3.8% 
1.9% 
Judges 
34.4% 
27.9% 
21.3% 
11.5% 
4.9% 
From a glance at the table it is obvious that to the 
clergymen the problem of alcoholism is primarily one 
of a moral and religious nature (which is the essence 
of the technique used by Alcoholics Anonymous) since 
that particular group (the A. A.) ranks by far as first 
in their choice. To the doctors, the psycho-physical 
aspects apparently rank first as controlling factors. 
In this they seem to have the support of the other 
three groups. 
The comparatively high rank given to Alcoholics 
Anonymous by every one of the groups seems to in- 
dicate the possibility of future co-operation with the 
A. A. in any effort towards the treatment of alcoholics 
that may be initiated by legislative act. 
No way was found of determining accurately the 
probable number of alcohol addicts and excessive 
drinkers with the State. No records are in existence 
which could give such information. An attempt was 43 
made to reach a rough estimate by asking the three 
groups with which such individauls may come into 
contact, the doctors, the chiefs of police and the clergy- 
men. 
It has already been stated that the 197 doctors (35% 
of the total number of doctors in the State) report- 
ing, have treated during the past year 569 chronic 
alcoholics, 672 cases for acute intoxication, and 730 
persons involving illness in which drinking was a re- 
lated factor. There is no way of determining how 
much overlapping there is in these figures; only a pro- 
tracted thorough investigation could disclose that. 
These figures, however, give an idea of the role alcohol 
is playing in sickness, especially when it is re- 
membered that only a fraction of the medical pro- 
fession reported. 
The clergymen, who were asked a somewhat similar 
question, reported that during the same period 179 
persons (155 males and 24 females) appealed to them 
for advice in an effort to cope with alcoholism. Here, 
too, we should remember that only 22% of the clergy- 
men replied, and that the figure is only an indication 
of the extent of the problem of alcoholism. 
The chiefs of police were asked: 
“What is your estimate of the number of chronic 
alcoholics in your community?” 
The 48 (21% of the total) replying gave us the 
figure: 1033 (920 males and 113 females). 
On the basis of the formula devised by The Research 
Council on Problems of Alcohol, there are in New 
Hampshire approximately 160,000 who “take a drink.” 
Of these, 7,200 could be considered as “excessive drink- 
ers,” and almost three-fourths of them, that is, 4,800, 
are individuals who “can stop” drinking given the 
proper stimulus, or direction; the rest, 2,400 must be 
considered alcoholics who may be rehabilitated under 44 
ALCOHOL CONSUMERS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE 
EXCESSIVE 
ALCOHOLIC 
SOCIAL 
160000 
THOSE WHO "TAKE A DRINK 
4000 
THOSE WHO "CAN STOP" 
2400 
ADDICTS 45 
proper and protracted treatment, and whose “alco- 
holism” may be “arrested,” though never cured. 
These findings enable one to see the problem of 
alcohol in its proper perspective: For: 
1. It differentiates between alcoholism and the 
“use” of alcohol. 
2. It defines sharply that group of individuals— 
the alcoholics—who for various reasons, physical, 
mental, and social, become the victims of the per- 
nicious effects inherent in the excessive use of alcohol, 
and in so doing offers a clear and distinct target upon 
which efforts at rehabilitation should be directed. 
3. It further defines, and isolates a larger group, 
out of which the alcoholics of the future would 
emerge, and presents a problem, not so much of re- 
habilitation in this case, but prevention, requiring 
different technique and measures if a solution is to be 
sought. 
4. It brings into bold relief the fact that to the 
great majority of people who drink (approximately 
152,000), alcohol is neither a source nor a cause of 
physical and mental illness, or social ostracism and 
isolation, but part and parcel of a pattern of life. 
It goes without saying, therefore, that any program 
devised with the idea of coping with the problems 
charaterizing the first two groups, should take into 
consideration the interests of this third group and a 
fourth group, the non-drinkers. 
B. Means within the State for Coping with the 
Problems Attendant to Excessive Drinking. 
One of the objectives of this study was to appraise 
the existing official and private facilities, which are 
attempting to meet the need for services, the problem 
of excessive drinking entails. This involved de- 46 
termining what specific agencies or institutions occupy 
themselves with the alcoholic, and/or the anti-social 
acts resulting from the excessive use of alcohol. 
1. Government-Supported Institutions: 
a. The State Hospital 
The most extensive work in the State in the field of 
treatment is the work carried on at the State Hospital 
in Concord. Not only does it accept for treatment 
persons who have been committed because their addic- 
tion to alcohol is involved with some form of psychosis, 
but it also accepts individuals who have come of their 
own accord because their own efforts have not proven 
sufficient to control their craving for alcohol. If it is 
seen that their intentions are forceful and sincere, an 
effort is made to help them. The following table shows 
the number of cases of alcoholics admitted to the State 
Hospital over a six-year period. 
FIRST ADMISSIONS 
With Psychosis 
Without Psychosis 
Year 
Male 
Female 
Total 
Male 
Female 
Total 
1941 
20 
2 
22 
16 
0 
16 
1942 
17 
3 
20 
14 
1 
15 
1943 
16 
5 
21 
11 
1 
12 
1944 
12 
5 
17 
8 
2 
10 
1945 
28 
7 
35 
9 
1 
10 
1946 
37 
4 
41 
25 
7 
32 
With Psychosis 
Without Psychosis 
Year 
Male 
Female 
Total 
Male 
Female 
Total 
1941 
6 
1 
7 
4 
0 
4 
1942 
2 
0 
2 
2 
2 
4 
1943 
6 
0 
6 
5 
1 
6 
1944 
5 
3 
8 
4 
0 
4 
1945 
1946 
READMISSIONS 
b. The County Houses of Correction: 
The greatest number of alcoholics and potential 
alcoholics under official supervision can be found in 
the 10 county houses of correction. As is the case 47 
throughout the country, alcoholics are too often re- 
garded as a penological problem, even in spite of the 
admissions of chiefs of police, superintendents of 
county farms, judges and other interested groups that 
the jail as designed today is of little rehabilitative or 
remedial value. Sending a drunk to jail to “teach him 
a lesson” is a policy as primitive as it is worthless. 
“True, to the law-abiding member of society who par- 
ticipates in community life, a month in the county jail 
would be very punishing, but the usual drunk, 
especially the one regularly sent to jail, is not a 
participating member of the community. The life of 
the usual drunk is so slightly rewarding, is so un- 
interesting, is so circumscribed that he is not much 
hurt by a sojourn in jail/’O) In fact, to many an 
ordinary drunk, the jail with its warmth in winter, its 
regular meals, clean beds, freedom from work, is an 
ideal place to recuperate from an extended binge. 
But it is necessary that they be arrested. They are 
a menace to themselves and society. They get hurt by 
falling, by traffic; they set a poor example to young 
people. They disturb the peace and cause numerous 
offenses against society. The public deserves pro- 
tection from such a menace. 
c. The Police Courts: 
When the great volume of cases of arrests for 
drunkenness is considered, it becomes apparent that a 
large part of our police is necessary because of drunks. 
In Connecticut they found that two-thirds of all 
arrests (apart from arrests for violation of motor 
vehicle laws) were for drunkenness, and furthermore, 
that of the remaining third, ten per cent of the arrests 
were for offenses in which drunkenness was a con- 
tributing cause. 
There is no reason to assume that conditions in our 
State are different. In fact when it has already been 
(1) “Drunkenness in Wartime Connecticut,” P. 29, issued by the Conn. Crime 
Survey in 1943. 48 
pointed out that 61.5% of all persons in the county 
houses of correction in 1945 were committed because 
of intemperance, it is natural to conclude that our 
condition is only too similar. 
One of the greatest obstacles in obtaining accurate 
data on arrests for drunkenness was the difference in 
policy on the part of the various chiefs of police to- 
ward arresting, confining and arraigning drunks. 
In the smaller communities especially a common 
practice exists—that of locking a drunk up for “safe- 
keeping” and releasing him when sober. In the cities 
this prerogative is seldom used. 
Interviews with police chiefs brought forth two 
more important facts: (a) That in virtually every 
case the arresting officer’s opinion of what constitutes 
drunkenness is the criterion of the man’s degree of 
drunkenness and (b) that there is a total lack of uni- 
formity in the method of recording drunkenness cases 
and in processing them. 
The Commission is not contending that persons are 
being unfairly arrested for drunkenness nor that the 
police are too lenient with drunks, but calling atten- 
tion to the fact that techniques for determining a 
man’s degree of intoxication now in wide use are as 
ancient as they are unreliable. A person’s degree of 
intoxication cannot be measured accurately by smell- 
ing his breath or by observing how he walks. There 
is a wide disparity in the overt actions of individuals 
even though they may have consumed the same amount 
of alcohol. A hardened drinker may appear to be 
more sober after drinking a pint of liquor than the 
novice may appear to be after imbibing one or two 
cocktails. With the introduction of increasing amounts 
of alcohol into the body comes a corresponding de- 
crease in reaction time and in perception that can only 
be validly determined by scientific tests and measure- 
ments. 49 
At Yale University an apparatus called the alcoholo- 
meter has been invented that actually measures the 
amount of alcohol present in the blood. Connecticut’s 
state and local police have been using this machine for 
some time. It is portable and extremely simple to 
operate. A dial calibrated from 0 to 0.3 indicates the 
amount of alcohol present. For legal purposes a con- 
centration of 0.15 or more may be considered as in- 
dicating drunkenness. 
It may be said, therefore, that the possibility for 
establishing an accurate—and, therefore, legal basis 
for the definition of drunkenness is available. 
The discretionary power now in the hands of local 
police is definitely lax. It is hard to justify the con- 
tinuance of a system whereby in one community a 
man is arrested for “safekeeping” only and released 
when sober while in another community a man 
arrested for drunkenness has to appear before court 
and be made liable to a fine or a jail sentence. 
2. Privately-Directed Activities: 
a. The Hospitals: 
To determine what hospital facilities were available 
to the excessive drinker a questionnaire was mailed to 
the 43 hospitals and sanatariums in New Hampshire. 
More than 50 per cent replied. Of these that re- 
sponded, five will accept persons suffering from acute 
intoxication. Six hospitals will accept alcoholics, but 
will only treat such concomitant bodily ailments as 
pellagra, cirrhosis of the liver, beriberi, etc. These 11 
hospitals treated a total of 106 persons during the 
past year, more than one-half of whom were reported 
by one hospital. 
Only two hospitals indicated that they accept 
alcoholics as such for treatment and rehabilitation. 
Only one indicated that it had plans for the future 50 
care and treatment of alcoholics with an additional one 
saying, “We might or should.” 
No one questions the right of a general hospital to 
select its patients. The general policy of hospitals not 
admitting alcoholics is based on the opinion that 
alcoholics are non-cooperative, that they are a dis- 
turbing element, and that there are more important 
diseases that require treatment than alcoholism. 
b. The Churches: 
The impression that the churches are interested in 
the problem of excessive drinking was validated by the 
replies received .... 119 of a total of 526 forwarded. 
From these replies it was learned that 179 alcoholics 
sought their pastor’s advice. In answer to the question, 
“How have these people come to you mainly?” 38 
clergymen said, “Of their own accord”; 27 said, 
“Through their families”; and 12 said, “They come at 
the suggestion of a doctor, the police or another 
source.” 
In answer to the question, “What is your procedure 
in handling such a case,” 58 clergymen indicated that 
they guide him in an attempt to overcome his excessive 
drinking and 29 indicated they refer the alcoholic 
mainly to Alcoholics Anonymous and also to general 
physicians and psychiatrists. 
c. The Doctors: 
As was pointed out before, of the 197 doctors who 
answered the questionnaire 98 during the past year 
treated a total of 672 persons suffering from acute in- 
toxication. Ninety treated a total of 569 cases of 
chronic alcoholism. Many doctors express a reluctance 
to treating such people. Even though they know that 
the alcoholic is a sick person, they have an under- 
standable aversion toward the drunk. He is boister- 
ous; he doesn’t carry out orders; he is annoying and 51 
unmanageable. He doesn’t pay his bills. But the 
doctor makes an effort even though he realizes his 
work is only one phase of the program that must be 
focused upon the alcoholic before any kind of results 
can be obtained. Only 22 doctors indicated that 
alcoholism should be treated by a general practitioner 
as against 47 who said that it should be treated by a 
psychiatrist and 140 who indicated that the combined 
efforts of both are required. 
A total of 166 doctors answered in the following- 
manner : the question, “What do you generally do with 
those under acute intoxication?” “Sober up and dis- 
miss” — 62; “Sober up and treat” — 69; “Sober up and 
refer elsewhere” — 35. A total of 177 doctors an- 
swered in the following manner the question, “What do 
you generally do with chronic alcoholics?” “Treat (Se- 
dation, vitamin therapy, etc.)” — 97; “Treat and re- 
fer elsewhere” — 34; “Refer elsewhere” — 46. 
For further treatment the doctors recommend a 
hospital or sanitarium (41.5%), a psychiatrist 
(30.7%), Alcoholics Anonymous (21.7%), and other 
agencies (6.1%). Only 58 doctors think the alcoholic 
could be permanently cured as against 144 who think 
he usually relapses. 
The large proportion of replies received from the 
doctors and the comments they volunteered indicated 
a great interest in the problem of alcoholism. 
d. Alcoholics Anonymous: 
This is a national organization, originated 12 years 
ago and now having a constituency of about 50,000 
members belonging to 752 chapters. Recently groups 
were established in Dover, Manchester, Concord, and 
Nashua. 
The publicity it has been receiving lately has been 
favorable, particularly because it is about the only lay 
agency that does effect cures and does so in a unique 52 
manner. It appeals to the alcoholic’s moral sensitivities. 
It calls for the acceptance of some “higher power” as 
being vital to the cure and believes that the greatest 
aid can be extended through the helping hand of a 
recovered alcoholic. 
A. A. reports about three-fourths of its prospects 
successfully respond to the particular type of therapy 
and forsake alcohol completely. This group can offer 
only a partial contribution to any extensive program 
of rehabilitation. In so far as prevention is con- 
cerned, its techniques have not as yet projected in that 
sphere. 
3. Summary of Facilities in New Hampshire: 
(Comparison with those in other states) 
It has been pointed out that there is no organized 
large-scale effort in New Hampshire to give assistance 
to the alcoholic. Nor are there any institutions that 
are devoting a large portion of their time and effort to 
treat and attempt to rehabilitate the alcoholic. He is 
regarded in practice if not in thought as a penological 
problem, an attitude which is now generally decried. 
Society gains nothing whatsoever by sending the 
drunk to jail except temporary protection. 
“The jail is by nature an ‘under-socialized en- 
vironment,” say the authors of “Drunkenness In 
Wartime Connecticut” — page 29. “In the jail 
there is no organized activity. There is no com- 
munity life, no family life, no job. There is not 
even a normal population, whether normal is con- 
sidered from the standpoint of age distribution, 
sex distribution, occupation, wealth, education, 
personality or other characteristics. Life in jail 
demands practically no co-operation with others; 
it never demands the assumption of responsibility, 
decision or action. It is about the last place in the 53 
world in which one can expect a human being to 
learn how to live in society.” 
The hospitals feel they do not have the staff, space 
or facilities to care for the alcoholics. They regard 
alcoholism as a sickness that should be subordinated to 
the treatment of more important organic disorders. It 
is not the hospitals in New Hampshire alone that re- 
fuse to devote time or effort toward treating alcohol- 
ism. Only 110 institutions in the entire nation listed 
by the American Medical Association accept alcoholic 
patients, and many of these are content to merely re- 
store the patient to sobriety—to “dry him out,” to use 
the vernacular—failing to treat the underlying causes 
of his condition. 
The doctors are definitely interested in the problem 
and disappointed in and thwarted by the lack of ade- 
quate facilities to effect the rehabilitation of alcoholics. 
They are likewise cognizant of the fact that alcoholism 
is not merely a disease to be treated medically but is 
often a symptom of mental conflicts and emotional 
disturbances from which the individual seeks to escape 
by drinking. 
Another group concerned with the meagerness of 
adequate facilities within this State for the treatment 
and rehabilitation of the alcoholic is the judges. Of 
the 44 municipal and superior court judges who an- 
swered the questionnaire only one thought that the 
present facilities are adequate. 
The State Hospital in Concord does not have the 
space nor the staff to accept all alcoholics who desire 
treatment, let alone those who should have it for then- 
own sake—and perhaps more—society’s sake. 
The Probation Department with its 10 district 
officers cannot possibly maintain supervision over the 
drunks who are arrested and discharged. Placing 54 
drunks on probation would create a case load on that 
department under which it would stagger. 
From the evidence presented, it would seem that 
New Hampshire has been definitely delinquent in its 
responsibility toward the alcoholic. In this, it is not 
alone. However, by expressing its interest in the sub- 
ject by creating this Commission, it has placed itself 
among the first states attempting to study the problem 
and effect a solution. 
The greatest work in the field of research and re- 
habilitation is being carried on in Connecticut. With 
professional assistance and guidance from Yale Uni- 
versity (one of the pioneers in the study of alcohol- 
ism) it enacted legislation that has made possible the 
establishment of two clinics that offer diagnosis and 
guidence to inebriates. About $200,000 a year is made 
available to the board that directs the activities. 
New Jersey has a Commission for the Rehabilitation 
of Alcoholics and the Promotion of Temperance with 
a grant of $25,000 for its first year’s study. 
C. Comparative Views of the Groups Questioned on 
What Could Be Done in the Future. 
The discrepancy that exists today between the 
magnitude of the alcohol problem and the inadequacy 
in services and facilities within the State constitutes 
a strong challenge for a constructive program. 
It seemed desirable, therefore, that a few questions 
bearing on the three important phases of alcoholism— 
prevention, diagnosis, and rehabilitation—be included 
in the questionnaires sent out to the groups chosen. 
Chief aims were: first, to assess the attitudes of the 
various groups as to desirability for some action; and 
second, to discover the degree to which any or all 
groups would be willing to lend their support to such 
action in the future. 55 
The answers given to the ensuing questions strongly 
indicate a great awareness among all groups that 
something ought to be done, and also lend great 
support to the belief that the State should assume the 
responsibility of initiating and directing the necessary 
measures. 
To the question: 
“Would you like to see a State sponsored informa- 
tional campaign aimed at enlightening the public on 
the subject of alcoholism?” the groups were divided as 
follows: 
Doctors 
Clergymen 
Judges 
Chiefs of 
Police 
Educators 
Yes 
85.3% 
93.2% 
88.6% 
77.1% 
90.9% 
No 
11.1% 
.9% 
6.9% 
167% 
6.8% 
No Opinion 
3.6% 
5.9% 
4.5% 
6.2% 
2.3% 
Any such campaign should, therefore, receive over- 
whelming support on the part of these groups. Of in- 
terest is the fact that only one clergyman of the 119 
replying was against such a campaign for reasons that 
he did not disclose. 
To the question: 
“Do you approve of the dissemination of scientific 
knowledge on the nature and effects of alcohol through 
the public school system?” the replies were as follows: 
Doctors 
Clergymen 
Judges 
Chiefs of 
Police 
Yes 
83.8% 
93.2% 
88.6% 
79.2% 
No 
11.1% 
3.4% 
9.1% 
16.7% 
No Opinion 
5.1% 
3.4% 
2.3% 
4.1% 
To the question: 
“Would you be in favor of establishing information 
centers ,to give advice to alcoholics or their families 
on the basis of recent scientific research?” replies were 
received as follows: 56 
Doctors 
Clergymen 
Judges 
Chiefs of 
Police 
Educators 
Yes 
82.7% 
84.9% 
79.5% 
75 ■% 
88.6% 
No 
13.7% 
8.4% 
11.4% 
14.6% 
9.1% 
No Opinion 
3.6% 
6.7% 
9.1% 
10.4% 
2.3% 
A less enthusiastic though still considerable support 
was elicited from the groups by the following question: 
“Would you favor the establishment of a clinic or 
clinics for the ambulatory treatment of alcoholics?” 
Doctors 
Clergymen 
Judges 
Chiefs of 
Police 
Educators 
Yes 
64.4% 
73.9% 
75 % 
77.1% 
79 % 
No 
31 % 
11.8% 
9.1% 
14.6% 
15.9% 
No Opinion 
4.6% 
14.3% 
15.9% 
8.3% 
9.1% 
Obviously such an undertaking would receive much 
less support from the doctors than from any of the 
other groups. The slightly more than two to one 
support, however, the doctors are willing to give to a 
clinic is not negligible. In fact, the New Hampshire 
doctor is much more willing to support the establish- 
ment of a clinic than his colleague in New Jersey. A 
similar question asked of the doctors in that state 
produced the following results: Yes—50%; No— 
41% ; Undecided—9%. 
That strong support, if such a proposal is made, 
could be expected from the doctors, is indicated by 
their replies to a question asked specifically of that 
group, namely; whether they would be willing to co- 
operate with laymen (such as the A. A. people, social 
workers and others) if attached to such clinics. Of the 
140 who replied, 113 (89.7%) answered in the affirma- 
tive and only 27 (19.3%) in the negative. 
To the question; Would you approve of the establish- 
ment of a special hospital for alcoholics?” the following 
replies were received: 
Doctors 
Clergymen 
Judges 
Chiefs of 
Police 
Educators 
Yes 
73.6% 
73.1% 
70.4% 
70.9% 
60.2% 
No 
20.3% 
12.6% 
20.5% 
20.8% 
29.6% 
No Opinion 
6.1% 
14.3% 
9.1% 
8.3% 
10.2% 57 
The great support for a special hospital indicated in 
these answers reflects an increasing awareness that 
alcoholism is not so much a crime as an illness. 
“As such persons addicted to chronic alcohol- 
ism,” comments a chief of police, “are victims of a 
mental disorder, they should be treated as persons 
suffering from it. I do not believe prison is the 
cure for these unfortunate persons.” 
It is further a reflection of the realization that such 
an illness could not, and should not, be treated hap- 
hazardly and for periods of short duration, but with 
the maximum of facilities and under protracted super- 
vision. 
“Alcoholics need sympathetic and understand- 
ing follow-up,” comments a clergyman. 
“Alcoholics need more than information and ad- 
vice, They need discipline and someone to lean 
on and to guide them,” comments a judge. 
“It is absolutely hopeless,” another clergyman 
emphasizes, “to seek a permanent cure of the true 
alcoholic unless there is 24-hourly! daily super- 
vision; ample time measured in years, not days; 
especially trained physicians who are interested; 
hospital facilities immediately available all the 
time, and sufficient attendants to accompany 
patients home for several weeks’ supervision after 
hospitalization.” 
It is shown by the returns that more doctors favor 
the establishment of a special hospital (73.6%) than 
do that of clinics (64.4%). That feeling is more 
sharply reflected in their answers to a question asked 
of the doctors exclusively: “If in referring an alcoholic 
for further treatment you had a choice of sending him 
to a clinic for alcoholics or to a special hospital for 
alcoholics, where would you send him?” 58 
Of the 172 doctors answering the question, 135 
(78.5%) indicated a preference for a special hospital, 
while only 37 (21.5%) would choose a clinic. 
Finally in an effort to get the opinion of these groups 
as to where responsibility should be placed in case con- 
certed action were to be taken, it was asked: “If you 
approve of information centers, clinics or special hos- 
pitals, or any combination of the three, is itl your 
opinion that the State should maintain them?” 
The answer; 
Doctors 
Clergymen 
Judges 
Chiefs of 
Police 
Educators 
Yes 
75.6% 
76.5% 
85.3% 
79.2% 
80.7% 
No 
14.7% 
15.1% 
2.3% 
6.2% 
11.3% 
No Opinion 
19.7% 
8.4% 
11.4% 
14.6% 
8% 
These percentages are based on the total number of 
individual replies within each group as the classifica- 
tion, “no opinion,” indicates. 
If, however, only the actual number of those answer- 
ing this particular question were to be taken as a base, 
the proportion between those supporting State mainte- 
nance and those opposing it would be greatly affected. 
In that case: 
Yes 
% 
No 
% 
Doctors 
149 
83.7 
29 
16.3 
Clergymen 
91 
83.5 
18 
16.5 
Judges 
38 
97.4 
1 
2.6 
Chiefs of Police 
38 
92.7 
3 
7.3 
Educators 
71 
87.7 
10 
12.3 
In either case the feeling that the State should main- 
tain such a program is so emphatic that not only does 
it guarantee substantial support for a State-sponsored 
effort, but practically makes such action mandatory. SECTION IV 
REVISED PROGRAM FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL 
EDUCATION ABOUT ALCOHOL 
As stated in another section of this report from 79.2 
to 93.2 per cent of the police chiefs, doctors, judges 
and clergymen answering the questionnaire stated 
that they “approved of the dissemination of scientific 
knowledge on the nature and effects of alcohol through 
the public school system.” Approximately the same 
number stated that they “would like to see a state 
sponsored information campaign aimed at enlighten- 
ing the public on the subject of alcoholism.” 
The people of New Hampshire, through their State 
Legislature, require instruction about intoxicants by 
adopting the following state law defining the duties 
of the State Board of Education—“Investigate the 
condition and efficiency of public education with 
special reference to the instruction given in physiology 
and hygiene in relation to the effect of alcohol and 
narcotics on the human system, prescribe such a 
course in respect to these subjects as will stimulate 
and guide public sentiment and give a detailed account 
of its doings in relation thereto in its biennial report.” 
(Public Laws, Chapter 134, section II-IX). 
As a help in carrying out the provisions of this law 
a committee of teachers, superintendents of schools 
and representatives of the State Department of Edu- 
cation prepared a “Recommended Program of Studies 
for the Public Schools of New Hampshire about 
Alcohol, Tobacco and Narcotic Drugs.” This program 
of Studies was printed and copies made available to 
every teacher in the state, the last edition being in 
1935. A study of the biennial reports of the State 60 
Education Department and talking to school officials 
reveal that such instruction is being carried on in the 
public schools in many different ways and with vary- 
ing degrees of effectiveness. A study made in 1943 
by Roef1) which shows that every state in the United 
States has a similar law requiring some type of edu- 
cational program in the public schools about alcohol. 
This study also shows that, although there is much 
material written about alcohol very little can be used 
in a sound educational program. There are many con- 
flicting statements, many based upon prejudices in- 
stead of fact, and little uniformity of what should be 
taught, or how to teach it. 
All of this would indicate that public opinion, as 
expressed through laws, practice or answers to 
questionnaires, demands that instruction in the public 
schools should include something about the use and 
effects of alcohol upon the individual and society. In 
an effort to obtain information about this matter 
several conferences were held with school teachers and 
officials and parents, current publications were studied 
and arrangements were made for two persons to 
attend the 1946 Summer Session at Yale University. 
These persons were Miss Dorothy McGeoch, Principal, 
Wheelock Training School and Arthur Giovannangeli, 
Science Instructor (both of Keene Teachers College). 
Much of the information and suggestions included in 
this section of the report are from these people. As 
teachers, and especially in a teachers college, their 
influence will continue to be felt and in an ever- 
widening scope. 
(1) Roe, Anne—A Survey of Alcohol Education in Elementary and High 
Schools in the United States, 1943—Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 
New Haven. 61 
Recommendations 
1. That a planned, comprehensive program of edu- 
cation about the use and effect of alcohol upon the 
individual and society be developed in New Hamp- 
shire. 
This program should include, 
a. A constructive, educationally sound program 
for the public schools, grades 1-12, comparable 
to the instruction given in other health and 
social science fields. 
b. Suggestions for use in colleges. 
1. Basic concepts to be developed. 
2. Materials to be included in regular college 
courses. 
3. List of competent speakers available. 
4. Recommended publications. 
5. Recommended group and college activities. 
c. Suggestions for use by adult social and civic 
groups similar to those for colleges but adapted 
to these particular groups. 
d. Planned system of radio broadcasts calling at- 
tention to such things as current problems con- 
nected with excessive use of alcohol, construc- 
tive projects done by groups, and correction 
of false concepts or information given through 
unscrupulous advertising. 
(This part of this report will be concerned prima- 
rily with them (a), dealing with the public schools. 
The inclusion of the other suggestions is to point out 
that the “public school program” is only one phase of 
the total desirable educational program. It also shows 
the necessity of having an organization and personnel 
equipped to do this.) 62 
2. The present “Program of Studies about Alcohol, 
Tobacco and Narcotics” for the public schools be 
revised and brought up to date. The material in- 
cluded should be in accordance with the most recent 
information concerning scientific facts and edu- 
cational procedure. 
a. This revision should be done by the State De- 
partment of Education with the co-operation 
of the State Liquor Research Commission. The 
personnel and materials used by this Com- 
mission would be available for this work. 
b. As shown in this brief report, the Liquor Re- 
search Commission may furnish many publica- 
tions, results of research in other states, com- 
petent advisory service, arrange to have com- 
mittee members attend conferences, arrange 
regional and state conferences in New Hamp- 
shire and make the public school program a 
part of the total education program on alcohol. 
3. These educational programs should develop a few 
basic concepts. Every effort should be made to 
make these concepts constructive and within the 
comprehension and experience of the learner. The 
following concepts are recommended: 
Reference marks: 
*** May begin with elementary schools. 
** Begin with junior and senior high schools. 
* Begin with senior high schools and adults. 
General Statements 
*** Alcohol is contained in varying amounts in 
drinks as beer, wine and whisky. 
*** 2. Alcoholic beverages are made in three ways, by 
brewing (beer, alcoholic content—6%), by 
fermentation (wines, alcoholic content—30%), 
and by distillation (whisky, alcoholic content— 
43%). 63 
*** 3. Alcohol is one of the few substances which is 
absorbed directly into the blood from the 
stomach. This absorption takes place faster 
when there is no food in the stomach. 
** 4. Alcohol not absorbed from the stomach is 
carried into the small intestine where all but 
approximately 10% of it passes into the blood. 
After entering the blood the alcohol is carried 
to the liver where it is oxidized (combined with 
oxygen) to form carbon dioxide and water. 
** 5. Alcohol not oxidized immediately is carried to 
all parts of the body by the blood. It must re- 
main in the blood and tissues until oxidized. 
Physiological 
* 1. Physiological scientific investigations have 
shown no evidence that alcohol in small 
amounts is permanently harmful to the human 
body. 
*** 2. Alcohol dilates tiny blood vessels, which causes 
the skin temperature to rise, making a person 
feel warmer, but actually the body temperature 
drops and resistance to cold is lowered. 
** 3. Alcohol cannot be stored in the body and thus 
does not build up a reserve of calories. It is 
not used to build or repair body cells. 
*** 4. Oxidation of alcohol may liberate a large num- 
ber of heat calories, but fails to provide 
vitamins, minerals, and proteins and may lead 
to nutritional diseases. 
** 5. Competent authorities state that a person 
whose blood contains less than 0.05% of alcohol 
is sober; that one with 0.05% and less than 
0.15% is “under the influence”; and that one 64 
with more than 0.15% is intoxicated. The 
alcoholometer is a device used to measure the 
concentration of alcohol in the human body. 
* 6. Chronic alcoholism is a diseased condition of 
the mind or body developed as a consequence of 
prolonged intemperate drinking. 
* 7. The bodily diseases of chronic alcoholism are 
essentially nutritional diseases. The inade- 
quate diet of the inebriate is a primary factor 
in these disturbances. The dietary deficiencies 
are aggravated by physical changes in the 
stomach and by the inadequate utilization of 
food which develop from the action of alcohol. 
*** 8. The poor physical state of the chronic alcoholic 
predisposes him to diseases, such as pneumonia 
or heart disease, and lessens the likelihood of 
recovery. 
*** 9. Excessive drinkers have shorter average life 
than moderate drinkers and abstainers. 
Psychological 
*** 1. The central nervous system is affected by 
alcohol. 
*** 2. Alcohol affects the central nervous system by 
depressing the higher brain centers which con- 
trol voluntary behavior. The latest learned or 
more complicated skills are affected first and 
to a greater degree. 
*** 3. Alcohol is a depressant, not a stimulant. The 
apparent stimulation occurs because of the 
release of inhibitions and submersion of 
anxieties. 
*** 4. Judgment and will power are among the first 
functions to be affected by alcohol, and with 65 
increasing amounts the impairment becomes 
greater. 
*** 5. Moderate amounts of alcohol have a measur- 
able effect on speed of reactions, discrimination 
of sensory perceptions and degree of muscular 
control. 
*** 6. Scientific evidence proves that athletes who use 
alcoholic beverages are less efficient in ac- 
curacy and endurance, 
*** 7. The general psychological effect of alcohol is 
that of reduced efficiency. 
** 8. People drink for various reasons among which 
are: as an escape from responsibility and con- 
ventional behavior, to relieve tensions, to obtain 
social approval, to escape the problems and dis- 
appointments of life. 
Economic 
*** 1. The National Safety Council reports that 
alcohol is a contributing factor in one out of 
every five highway accidents. 
*** 2. Many industrial and labor groups (i. e. rail- 
road engineers) forbid the use of alcoholic 
beverages because of the danger to others in- 
volved. 
*** 3. Alcohol has many important industrial uses 
such as synthetic rubber, plastics, smokeless 
powder, anti-freeze, solvents, paints, drying 
agents, etc. 
* 4. The establishment of facilities for the rehabili- 
tation of the alcoholic is a sound practice eco- 
nomically. 
** 5. The right to manufacture, sell, and consume 66 
alcoholic beverages is a privilege granted by 
the voters of this country. 
*** 6. The alcohol industry is subject to a high rate 
of taxation and many legal controls by the state 
and federal governments. 
** 7. Authorities have estimated that the nation has 
spent a probable minimum of $778,903,000 for 
cost of arrests, jailing, accidents, absenteeism 
and other anti-social behavior of inebriates 
during the year of 1940. 
* 8. Studies made at Sing Sing Prison in 1938, ’39, 
’40, show that in at least 22% of the offenses, 
alcohol was closely related to the crime. 
** 9. Relatively young drivers seem markedly prone 
to have motor vehicle accidents. Therefore, 
they cannot afford to indulge in alcoholic 
beverages. 
**10. The Northwestern National Life Insurance Co. 
of Minneapolis reported in 1938 that 25% of 
rejected applications were for the excessive use 
of alcohol. 
***11. Large sums of money are expended for 
alcoholic beverage advertisements. ($420,479,- 
424, in 1940). 
*12. The alcoholic usually involves himself and his 
family in a series of dramatic and distressing 
crises that demand attention and economic help 
from social agencies and the community. 
Social 
*** 1. In modern society alcohol is considered of little 
value as a medicine, due in part to the dis- 
covery of better forms of treatment for con- 
ditions for which alcohol was formerly used. 67 
** 2. The excessive use of alcohol limits or makes 
impossible approved individual participation in 
a complex society. 
** 8. Alcoholic beverages served a religious and 
social function in primitive society, although 
recognized as a danger when used improperly. 
* 4. Alcohol constitutes a danger to society because 
it increases aggressiveness and sexuality by 
lowering inhibitions and self-control. 
** 5. The amount and kind of drinking in a culture 
is influenced by the tensions created, the atti- 
tudes toward consumption by its members; and 
the opportunities which the culture provides 
for obtaining suitable satisfactions. 
* 6. In a complex social structure, control of all 
types of drinking behavior by folkways, mores, 
etc., is difficult and usually impossible. 
* 7. A culture will take one or more of four atti- 
tudes toward alcohol: (1) abstinence (2) re- 
ligious ritual (3) social (4) utilitarian or 
purposeful (medicinal or occupational). 
* 8. The disintegration of the feudal system, the 
discovery of the process of distillation of 
alcohol, the industrial revolution, the rise of 
capitalism, advertising and general social 
drinking have all had the effect of increasing 
the drinking of alcohol beverages. 
** 9. Alcohol is sometimes used with the intent of 
increasing sociability. 
***10. Alcohol has been, and still is, used in some 
ethnic and religious groups, in a sacred and 
divine manner. 68 
*11. There is no scientific evidence that the use of 
alcohol by the parents causes any abnormality 
in the child or injuries the human germ. 
*12. The greater incidence of disease and mortality 
among the children of excessive drinkers is not 
due to heredity but to the low living standards 
and to neglect in the home. 
***13. The use of alcohol even in small amounts is the 
cause of a large number of traffic and other 
accidents, resulting in heavy burdens on the in- 
dividual and society. 
** 14. The temperance movement in the United 
States culminated in the Eighteenth Amend- 
ment to the Constitution which established 
National Prohibition. The Twenty-first 
Amendment in 1933 repealed the Eighteenth 
Amendment and returned the legal control to 
the individual states. 
4. If the General Court deems it advisable to establish 
a perment Commission it should co-operate with the 
State Department of Education by: 
a. Conducting a one, or two-day conference each 
year for teachers, school officials, and any inter- 
ested person. The purpose of this conference 
would be to stimulate interest in the problem, 
disseminate new information and teaching aids, 
and develop more effective educational programs. 
b. Sending a few selected teachers, who show 
special interest and ability in this field, to attend 
conferences and summer sessions such as those 
held at Yale University. 
5. Every school system should develop a reference 
library of good materials about alcohol. By adding 
a few things each year, it soon becomes a valu- 69 
able aid to pupils and teachers, as well as to the 
general public. A list of such materials has been 
prepared by the Commission and copies may be 
obtained upon request. 
a. It is recommended that the New Hampshire State 
Library should develop a rather comprehensive 
library of such materials. This could serve for 
general reading as well as for examination pur- 
poses by school teachers before purchasing for 
the local school library. SECTION V 
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 
In the preceding parts, both the seriousness of the 
problems arising from the excessive use of alcohol and 
the inadequacy of existing facilities to cope with such 
problems have been amply shown. The present ten- 
dency towards an increasing use of alcoholic bever- 
ages, if continued, will further aggravate the situation 
as the gap that now exists between the problem and 
the facilities for dealing with it, will widen even more. 
It is the Commission’s opinion that the situation 
demands immediate action and that such action should 
be based on the following principles: 
1. Excessive consumption of alcohol leads to 
serious problems affecting both the individual 
and society. 
2. The alcoholic is a sick person. 
3. Rehabilitation of the majority of alcoholics is 
possible. 
4. Alcoholism is a complex problem requiring the 
special skill of several groups if any efforts 
toward its control is to succeed. 
5. The institution of preventive measures, such 
as an early diagnosis of alcoholism and a con- 
tinuous flow of scientific information to the 
public, will have the following effects: 
a. Reduction of the number of alcoholics. 
b. Alleviation of many of the individual and 
social problems resulting from the ex- 
cessive use of alcohol. 71 
6. Since the state receives so large a revenue from 
the sale of alcoholic beverages, a portion of 
this income should be used for the prevention 
of excessive use of alcohol and rehabilitation 
of inebriates. 
To implement these principles we make the follow- 
ing recommendations: 
1. That a permanent board or commission be 
established. 
To justify the establishment of the proposed 
board it must be pointed out that no existing 
agency such as the Department of Mental Health, 
the Probation Department, the Liquor Commis- 
sion, etc., can assume the duties and responsibilities 
a program such as this entails. Perhaps eventually 
the administration of this program may be incor- 
porated into an existing governmental department 
but at the outset—when new techniques must be 
developed and original designs must be formu- 
lated—it is recommended that a specific commis- 
sion or board be charged with this responsibility. 
2. That this board or commission be endowed with 
powers to initiate and direct a co-ordinated program, 
three main aspects of which should be, information, 
diagnosis and rehabilitation. 
Such a program would involve activities such as 
these: 
a. Continuous research in the general field of 
alcoholism and in the specific problems pertain- 
ing to the situation within the state. 
b. Dissemination of information for the enlighten- 
ment of the public and guidance of groups deal- 
ing with inebriates, through the public and 
other school systems; through the press, radio, 
movies and other means available for reaching 72 
the general public; through periodic releases 
of the latest information to chiefs of police, 
judges, doctors, clergymen, and others who may 
indicate an interest to co-operate. 
c. Development and application of modern tech- 
niques of diagnosis and treatment. 
d. Development and furtherance of uniform tech- 
niques of handling cases of drunkenness. 
e. Supervision of a parole or probation system for 
inebriates. 
f. Furtherance of legislation intended to accom- 
plish the aims of the commission or board. 
3. That this board or commission be further em- 
powered to set up, supervise and administer such 
agencies as may be deemed essential for the execution 
of its program. 
The accompanying chart is offered as a suggestion 
as to how an administrative unit could be organized to 
carry on a concerted program of this nature with the 
maximum of efficiency. 73 
DIAGNOSIS 
COURTS 
DOCTORS 
CLERGV 
POLICE 
HOSPITALS 
SPECIAL I 
HOSPITAL | 
CLINICS 
REHABILITATION 
Executive Directoi 
jGLNFFAL PUBLIC 
The Boaid 
PRESS 
radio, etc; 
EDUCATION 
PUBLIC 
SCHOOL 5 
RESEARCH 
INFORMATION 
TIC RESEARCH 
COUNCIL ON 
problems of alcohol 
the national 
COMMITTEE ON 
ALCOHOL WGIENE 
THE NATIONAL 
COMMITTEE FOR 
EDWAncmaiAiomM