Abstract
‘Legacies’ explains that the most important legacy of prohibition in the United States concerned a dramatic change in drinking habits. The raunchy all-male saloon disappeared for good and per capita consumption of alcohol was reduced for a very long time. Consumption in the 1930s was one-third lower than before prohibition because people had little money to spend on drinks during the Great Depression and because a generation that had come of age during prohibition never imbibed much alcohol. Other legacies include industry-sponsored scientific research on alcohol and alcoholism; the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous, which placed responsibility for drinking upon the individual drinker; and the 1980s designated driver scheme proposed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
