Mother’s Ruin
Day 276 / 365
Gin, the popular alcoholic spirit, is also known as Mother’s Ruin. To know the story behind that name, we have to go back in time to 18th Century England.
Back in the 1700s in England, Gin was a super popular drink amongst the working class. Many couldn’t afford the high-quality brandy and wine, but Gin was cheap and effective. Some workers were even given Gin as part of their wages.
Gin became the first drug craze in England. At its peak, the average Londoner was drinking 14 gallons of Gin in a year! And this wasn’t like the Gin we have today. Back then the Gin was almost pure Alcohol.
Gin caused men to be impotent and made the women sterile, which is why the birth rate declined. In 1723, the death rate in England was actually greater than the birth rate. The infant mortality rate also went up, as the mothers were too drunk to care for their babies. Some even resorted to giving Gin to their babies as well to stop them from crying. This is the reason why Gin got the name “Mother’s Ruin”.
People would do anything to get gin…a cattle drover sold his eleven-year-old daughter to a trader for a gallon of gin, and a coachman pawned his wife for a quart bottle.
The Government had to step in and pass the Gin Act, which increased the price and reduced the number of people who were permitted to sell it. In 1830, the Sale of Beer act was passed that reduced the prices of beer and made it easier for people to get the license to sell it.