New moderationism: medical discourses on alcohol and the decline of drunkenness in interwar Britain.

Abstract

This article explores the significant yet underappreciated role of medical experts in consolidating the promotion of moderate drinking as a viable solution to Britain's alcohol problem during the interwar period. The country's experience with alcohol regulation in the First World War showed that widespread drunkenness could be effectively managed through policies that restricted the availability of alcohol and encouraged moderation. This realization weakened the political standing of the temperance movement, as support for alcohol prohibition and abstinence waned, leading to the liberalization of social attitudes towards drinking. Such circumstances facilitated the emergence of New Moderationism, a renewed policy approach that regarded moderate drinking as relatively benign while cautioning against the dangers of heavy consumption. Medical professionals provided the conceptual foundation for New Moderationism by reassessing several assumptions on alcohol's conflicting reputation as either a 'poison' or a 'food', its benefits to drinkers, and its potential to cause disease. These considerations led to the conclusion that alcohol policy should focus not on whether people should drink, but on how much. This study thus underscores the pivotal contribution of medical professionals in the evolution of the alcohol debate between the two world wars, revealing the transformative impact of expertise on policymaking and social change in modern Britain.