------------------------------------------------------------ PLEASE DO NOT REPLY OR SEND MESSAGES TO THIS EMAIL ADDRESS. ------------------------------------------------------------ AUTHOR: Kopperman, Paul E., 1945- TITLE: "The cheapest pay": alcohol abuse in the eighteenth-century British Army. SOURCE: Journal of Military History v. 60 (July '96) p. 445-70 ABSTRACTS: An investigation of why 18th-century British Army officers were unwilling to confront the problem of alcohol abuse among soldiers. Most officers saw habitual drunkenness as a threat to health, but medical opinion was sufficiently divided to allow them make their own decisions about the extent of the threat, and it also encouraged them to see some alcoholic drinks as beneficial. In addition, although drunkenness clearly undermined discipline, continuing the supply of alcohol gave officers significant leverage over the troops. Because officers could see disadvantages in dramatically reducing their men's desire for alcohol, they focused on combating drunken behavior rather than introducing an all-out campaign to end alcohol abuse. STANDARD NO: 0899-3718 DATE: 1996 PLACE: United States LANGUAGE: English RECORD TYPE: art CONTENTS: feature article SUBJECT: Great Britain. Army - Military life. Soldiers - Alcohol use. Alcoholic beverages - Public opinion. Liquor problem. Great Britain - Armed forces - Foreign countries. ------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks for using FirstSearch. This e-mail account is only for distribution of FirstSearch documents. Please contact your librarian with comments or concerns. ------------------------------------------------------------