My father was a Baptist minister in Saskatoon and I was brought up in a home where alcohol was a completely unknown entity. The social strata in which I moved - the church, the school, the neighborhood - were likewise devoid of any reference to alcohol or strong drink. To the best of my knowledge none of my friends, acquaintances, neighbors or relatives used alcoholic drinks of any kind.

However these were the days of Prohibition and Temperance -organizations were very active. I soon came to hear about the evils of strong drink even though I hardly knew what that meant and I once signed pledge card promising never to drink alcohol of any kind for the rest of my life. Temperance rallies held in cities across the country drew crowds of people. On one occasion such a meeting was announced in our church to be held in the largest church auditorium in town. The speaker was to be a reformed drunkard with the colorful name of One-Eyed Kelly. I decided I wanted to go. I dont know what I expected to see, probably a Cyclops, but I was curious to see a one-eyed man. I was about ten years old. When I told my father I was going, he ridiculed the idea and told -e to stay home. I started to cry and made such a fuss that my mother intervened and said it would do no harm. So Dad took me. It turned out that One-Eyed Kelly wore a black patch over one eye socket since he had lost that eye in a drunken brawl which he described in colourful language. He later became a Christian and an abstainer and was in great demand as a Temperance speaker. The church sanctuary was packed and it was a very lively meeting. I was almost half asleep when we got home as it was long past my bedtime.

The children in our neighborhood used to play all sorts of games in the vacant lot beside our house. There was a small garden at the back of the house and beyond that our garage which faced onto a laneway that serviced two parallel streets. Beside the garage was a large wooden piano box that had been used to transport our piano when we moved from Toronto to Saskatoon. It often played a part in our games. One day one of the children found a bottle of beer tucked away between the piano box in the garage. It had probably been stashed there for safe keeping by a roving tramp or one of the road workers on our street. I immediately took it indoors and showed it to my father who very ceremoniously opened the bottle and poured the offending liquid down the sink and disposed of the bottle in the garbage. I never forgot this incident and some years later when I was working in an automotive supply warehouse to earn money for my university education, I related this story to the men working there - men who were very fond of their bottle of beer. They made fun of me and in shocked tones they pointed a finger at me and said, Theres the young man whose father poured a bottle of beer down the sink! Once at the same warehouse where I was employed for four summers I was driving a truck for a couple of weeks while the regular truck driver was on holidays. I had to make a C.O.D. delivery on the west side of town. I didnt have change for a large bill and the only place I could go to get change was the liquor store next door. I was alarmed and embarrassed because I thought some of our church folk might see me going in and get the wrong idea of my actions. However, no one did see me and I breathed easier, but I got out of the liquor store as quickly as I could.

When I started to attend the University of Saskatchewan, one of the first experiences I encountered was Freshman Initiation, men only. All frosh, as they were called, had to wear a small green and white (school colours) boys cap at all times. Some had to carry a shoe-shining kit and shine a seniors shoes whenever requested. Some had to push a peanut with their nose the length of the main hall in the Administration building. Some had to stand guard with a broomstick on the tower of QuAppelle Hall and call out the hours and quarter hours, Ten oclock and alls well! Some had to spend half a day helping to build a sidewalk along Memorial Drive - digging the foundation, hauling sand and gravel by wheelbarrow, mixing and pouring cement. Each year the sidewalk was extended a few yards. Everyone was required to attend the first football game of the season and everyone was required to take part in the annual Snake Walk, together with Sophs, Juniors and Seniors. This was a single-file parade that wound its way from the University, across the 25^th Street bridge to downtown Saskatoon on Second Avenue. It stopped all traffic and bounced any cars that tried to get through. Motorists were terrified and some were injured. Many of the students had been drinking and the affair became very wild. They attempted to enter some of the stores and restaurants but most of the proprieters had locked their doors in anticipation of this furious onslaught. Some students pursued a young woman who happened to be on the street and almost tore her clothes off but she escaped and found safety in one of the stores when the owner unlocked his door and let her in. It was definitely alcohol that made this event such a wild party. I couldnt get out of going on the snake walk, but I escaped and headed for home as soon as I could.

The scene changes and I am now in Ottawa, working at the Central Experimental Farm as a research scientist in the old Chemistry building which was erected in 1890. It was the most poorly designed laboratory building I have ever seen and it became a hazardous firetrap. But it housed about thirty chemists conducting a wide range of agricultural research.            One of the principal solvents used in many chemical reactions and processes is 95% ethyl alcohol. This material was purchased from the Liquor Control Board in 100-gallon drums at a cost of $1000.00 with a rebate of $950.00 when used for scientific purposes. It is thus the cheapest chemical used in a Chemistry laboratory. This drum was kept in a basement room with free access to all who needed to use 95% ethyl alcohol. I used my share for numerous sugar analyses of plant material. I used to keep a bottle on the shelf in the laboratory where I worked but large amounts of it mysteriously disappeared when I wasnt around. To prevent this thievery one trick was to lace the alcohol with Epsom salts which was usually quite effective. But I became so angry at the continued losses I laced some alcohol with sulphuric acid. This, of course, was a very dangerous and criminal practice so on the advice of some colleagues I discontinued the practice. In future all alcohol was kept in locked cupboards. Access to the key was obtained by signing in the office. Unfortunately there were men in the Chemistry Division who took advantage of the easy access to this liquid and used it for drinking purposes Whether they mixed it with water or other drinks, I dont know but I do know that raw alcohol of this type does terrible damage to the human system and at least three of these men suffered painful, premature deaths because of it. They were all well known scientists at the height of their careers who had already made notable contributions to scientific knowledge

Another instance of the misuse of alcohol came at my attention in those early days. Scientific equipment companies and chemical companies sent their sales representatives around to various laboratories throughout province or the country to promote new equipment or encourage purchase of standard items. They also distributed catalogues describing their products. At the time of annual scientific conventions or conferences were usually held in some large hotel, these companies set up display bothes to show off their wares. These boothes were usually manned by representatives who travelled during the rest of the year. In addition to a display boothe these companies also had a so-called hospitality suite somewhere in the hotel where prospective buyers could

go to settle deals and relax. There was always plenty of free liquor in these suites and many people drank too much. One young man who represented a leading equipment company started to visit us. He was well educated, well groomed, had a pleasing personality and he knew his business. He quickly became a favorite and brought in much business for the cempany. However he fell victim to the easy drinking in the hospitality suites, he became an alcoholic and inside of three years he lost his job a promising career lost to alcohol.

Shortly after I went to Ottawa I travelled to Vancouver and spent few days over New Year with the family of the girl to whom I became engaged to be married. On New Years Eve we drove through Chinatown and saw the brilliant display of fireworks for which it is famous.  Returning home Mr A suggested we toast the New Year with a drink. I had never tasted alcohol and this must have been a very dry drink because I disliked it intensely and took no more than a few sips and made a wry face which amused them greatly.

During the Second World War I came up against many experiences of the effects of alcohol. At Pennfield Ridge, halfway through the intensive two week course in Flying Control, the Squadron Leader told the class that studies were suspended for twenty four hours and we should all go out and get drunk. Some in the class did just that and then there was a rowdy party in the Mess that night with the Squadron Leader as the ring leader. My buddy, Stewart Laurison, and I were not the drinking kind so we didnt partake but we did attend the party for a couple of hours. The Squadron Leader was perfectly sober the next day.

On board the Norwegian ship, Mosdale, across the Atlantic there was plenty of liquor available and five of the eight R.C.A.F. officers on board took full advantage. Captain Sunde, a tall handsome Norwegian who never usually fraternized with the passengers, took a liking to our group and spent a lot of time with us. On New Years Eve he sponsored a party in the lounge. I played the piano and the men took turns dancing with the two young women on board. There was lots of singing and lots of drinking. Our officers played a trick on the Captain by toasting everything and anyone in sight - To the King, To Canada, To Norway, Skoll, Cheers etc. And the Captain was too polite to refuse each toast. He soon became very drunk and slumped down on a big chair and seemed to fall asleep. I thought I would take advantage of this and slip out, so I stopped playing - after two hours - but he immediately awoke, came over to the piano, dropped his big hand heavily on my shoulder and in a thick voice said, Play! This was repeated a couple of times but eventually I left. Next morning the Captain was perfectly sober.

When the ship docked in Liverpool, the eight R.C.A.F. officers in our party were housed in a hotel for one night. It was still early in the evening and we gathered in one room. The five drinkers ordered room service and drinks were delivered by a bar maid. One of our men, an Englishman who had lived long in Canada, had been making fun of English money and he asked the bar maid how much was the bill. She said, Ten shillings, Sir. He said, Thats half a pound, isnt it? She said, Yes. So he immediately took a pound note from his pocket, tore it in two and gave her half. She fled from the room in terror. The next call for room service was answered by an elderly waiter. Eventually room service was refused. The party got wilder and soon two ladies of the night joined the crowd, at which point Stewart and I left and went to our own rooms.

While I was stationed at Manston in Kent the officers usually gathered in the mess for a drink before dinner - beer or ale. Once a young officer was walking through the crowd with a tray of glasses. He offered me one. I said, No thanks. He gave me a queer look and said, Blimey! A lot of you Canadians downt drink.

The three R.C.A.F. Flying Control officers at Manston under training were bosom buddies for six months but then we were posted in all directions of the compass and never met again. Before parting we went on a safari by bicycle to Birchington for a farewell party. We went into a pub and the other two persuaded me to have a drink, which I did with some hesitation. This may have been my first drink, as far as I can remember. It tasted alright but I felt guilty. However I was very fond of my two buddies and this was a last farewell.

Back in Halifax for the remainder of the War I had little occasion to come in contact with alcohol except at the rare mess banquet in the officers quarters at Y Depot. At these dinners a very rigid protocol was observed in passing the wine. The President of the Mess started the wine, picking up the decanter with his right hand, filling his own glass, then setting the decanter on the table to the right of his place. The officer on his right hand reached over and picked up the decanter with his right hand, filled his glass, then set the decanter down to his right, and so on the decanter was passed around the large table until everyone was served. When all were served, the President rose and proposed a toast to the King. All rose and drank to the, health of the King. Then the President said grace, usually in a loud voice, Thank God!. At one particular mess banquet honouring the departure of an Air Vice Marshall only senior officers at Eastern Air Command were invited. I was a squadron Leader as Senior Flying Control Officer but I was the lowest ranking officer present. Much drinking went on during and after the dinner, the party became very rowdy, several men were playing rough games and I beat a hasty retreat as soon as I could escape. I drank my wine at dinner but that was all.

The Air Officer Commanding Eastern Air Command, an Air Vice Marshall, was a permanent force officer, a heavy drinker and not a very good administrator. The story that made the rounds of E.A.C. may or may not be true. He was drinking one night and his corporal driver was taking him where he wanted to go. They were both under the influence. The A.V.M. ordered the driver to take him back to his office. They went up to the office, the A.V.M. slumped down in his chair and tried to put his feet up on the desk. He couldnt make it so he ordered the corporal to get a saw and cut off one leg of the desk so the old man could get his feet up. The corporal did as he was ordered and then was reprimanded next morning. Apocryphal? Maybe!

Back in Ottawa after the war life was busy and straight forward with no encounters with alcohol except at the house parties of Dr N.T. Nelson the Chief of the Tobacco Division where I worked as a researcher. His annual parties were good fun. Drinks were served but not to excess. I always took a soft drink.

In 1955 I went on a three-month business trip to Europe where I found social drinking to be much more prevalent than in Canada where many restrictions were still in force. I came to the conclusion that in the name of courtesy and hospitality I would have to relax my scruples somewhat. I visited and conferred with Dr Sharmon of the British Imperial Tobacco Comapny in Bristol. One evening he entertained me for dinner at his country home some distance from the city. Before dinner he offered me a glass of sherry - my first experience. It tasted quite good and I didnt disgrace myself although I imagine I was very self-conscious. Next day, after a morning of business, Dr Sharmon took me to lunch in the British Imperials board room where the officers and administrators gathered. The waiter came around and asked what I wanted to drink. Of course everyone has beer or ale at lunch but I had no desire to start that, even though I had never tasted beer and have not done so to this day. So I stammered that I would have a sherry which was the only drink I knew anything about. This flustered the waiter no-end as sherry is definitely not a drink to have with lunch. But he recovered and said hesitantly, Yes, sir, Im sure sir, that we can find you some sherry sir. Which he did, but I was embarrassed and imagined I saw many amused glances from other diners. I should have said Nothing or A glass of water, but I learned that later. While I was still in Bristol having lunch with a Croup of visiting researchers, we were treated to a new drink called Perry, made from pears and developed by workers at the station. It is a light wine similar to sherry. While I was in England I discovered that a carbonated drink called squash was very popular and could be requested without embaressment in place of an alcoholic beverage.

When I was in Paris I decided to try some white wine with my dinner on a couple of occasions as drinking water seemed to be non­-existent. I had no idea what to ask for with the result that I got some cheap wine that tasted awful. I went to Versailles to visit a young French researcher, M. Dusset. After conferring all morning he asked me if I was planning to stay at the Station for lunch. I said I was and he said Come along, well go now. On the way to the lunch room he asked me What kind of wine are you drinking? I have some excellent red wine. Not knowing anything about it, I said, Well, Ive been drinking white wine. He said, Oh alright, if you want white wine well have white, but the red is excellent. So he got a bottle of white wine, he got his own loaf of bread from his locker and we started to have lunch. He poured out the wine into large glass and as soon as mine was half empty he would fill it up, saying, Come on, drink up, drink up. He was intent on emptying the bottle but I was not drinking fast enough Eventually we did finish the bottle. It was a hot summer day, the temperature was about 90 degrees F, I started to sweat, my head began to swim and I could hardly rise from the table. This was my first and only experience with intoxication. I managed to stagger back to the office and got through the rest of the afternoon somehow but it was an un-nerving experience.

In Zurich, Switzerland I was attending an International Conference At the conference banquet in a hall that seated 1000 people with 10 to a table the meal consisted of 10 courses with entertainment or speeches between each course and a different wine for each. It lasted four hours. I only tasted a few of the wines. On another evening I went to a pub with some other Canadians and found out what a wine fondu is. Eight or ten people were sitting at a large round table. In the center was a large bowl filled with wine and cheese steaming hot over a small burner. In front of each person was a dish containing large chunks of white bread. A long fork was used to dip the bread into the hot fondu before eating it. It was quite tasty at first but after a while the hot wine began to have an effect so I didnt eat very much. Some of the people had glasses of wine in addition.

In Copenhagen, Denmark, I met up with three Canadians who had come to Europe with me for similar scientific travel. One night we went to the National Scala, a famous night club where the food and entertainment was excellent. Here for the first time I tasted a liqueur, Cherry brandy.

In 1960 I took up a new position in Harrow, Ontario and my family moved from Ottawa to Kingsville. By this time social drinking had become widespread in Canada. The W.C.T.U. (Womens Christian Temperance Union) had all but disappeared. Moral restraints were relaxing everywhere. But certain legal restrictions were still in effect. Drinking in restaurants was not permitted but was confined to beer parlours and lounges. The provincial government permitted municipalities to exercise local option referenda. The battle between wets and drys became very intense. A referendum was allowed only every three (?) years. Some municipalities remained consistently dry - mostly small rural communities, while large urban areas were all completely open. When we arrived in Kingsville, the town was dry while Harrow, eight miles down the road, was wet.            Very soon the liquor interests demanded a referendum and the battle lines were drawn. The churches all banded together to fight the liquor and hotel interests and as an active member of the Baptist church I was drawn into the fray and played an active part. We held rallies, printed posters, and visited homes. Neither side was supposed to get any assistance from outside of the town but the breweries and distilleries secretly supplied money and material to the wets. One of their successful ploys was a float that was repeatedly paraded through town drawn by a donkey with insulting slogans painted on the side of the float. It was obvious who the supposedly humourous remarks were aimed at and I was one of the targets. In spite of our best efforts the wets won the referendum and it was not long before first beer and wine and eventually hard liquor was available in hotels and restaurants and both a beer store and a liquor store set up for business in Kingsville.

When we moved to Kingsville my wife, Birdie was in poor health which steadily deteriorated until her death two and a half years later. She was well cared for by our family doctor, Dr George Bruner. Throughout her illness she continued to have a good appetite and enjoyed her meals. She was also a good cook. However the time came when she spent many days in bed, her appetite was not so good and she ate very little. Dr Bruner suggested that she drink a small glass of sherry before dinner to stimulate her appetite. I agreed but here was a problem. If I was seen in this town going into the liquor store to buy sherry, my reputation would be shattered. Gossip here spread like wildfire. So I confided in my technician at the lab, Alex Kurosky. Alex laughed at me but readily agreed to help me out of my dilemma. We got the sherry and it helped - for a while.

It was inevitable that my three teen-age sons, Doug, Bruce and Allan should come in contact with alcohol amongst their high school friends. Although I never lectured them, they were all quite aware of my attitude to the use of alcohol. I never learned any of the details of their activities, although I knew quite well what was happening On one occasion I discovered half a case of beer under Dougs bed which I promptly confiscated and put out in the garbage. I never mentioned it to him nor he to me but it never happened again. On another occasion Doug and Allan came home late at night after I was in bed. After they came up the stairs Allan collapsed on the floor in front of his bedroom door. I came out, saw that he was sick and helped Doug to get him up and into bed, but I didnt realize until later that he was drunk. He was young, and it took very little to upset him. Doug was a most considerate brother in seeing that Allan got home safely. They were always good buddies. Im afraid that I wasnt a very understanding father. I was too stiff-necked and self righteous.

I was the organist at First Baptist Church, Leamington for seven years. During that time I played for many weddings. Only occasionally was I invited to attend the reception. At one such reception I sat with the minister, Rev Len 0Neil and we were the only two people present who drank no wine. I had never before attended a reception where wine was served but it had become a very common practice. Len bemoaned the custom but said very little. At another wedding reception with a different minister that minister partook liberally of the wine, drinking his wifes portion as well as his own.

When I married June in 1968 she introduced me to the world of social drinking. She had a large circle of friends in the business world, in church and in other connections. They were of two categories - social drinkers and abstainers. At our wedding reception in the church hall no wine was served. Eventually it became our custom to have a drink before dinner in the evening. I never drank anything but wine and I preferred sherry or dubonnet. Once in a while I drank port wine which is considered an after-dinner drink. I preferred sweet wine to dry wine. I never ventured into the realm of hard liquor - whiskey, rye, vodka, gin, rum etc.       I once tried gin but disliked the taste intensely and it made me sick. I have tasted rum in exotic mixed drinks. I have never tasted beer and dont intend to do so. The smell of it is enough to put me off. June would drink most of these beverages but a martini was her preferred before-dinner drink. I became quite adept at preparing a martini although that was usually her job. We also occasionally drank white wine but never red wine with meals but not regularly. Often when we went out for dinner in a restaurant we drank white wine. We tasted many different varieties, including champagne and found Canadian white wines to be as palatable as any American or other imported wines. I was also introduced to the custom of drinking after-dinner liqueurs of which there are many varieties. Creme-de minthe is the one which I prefer. A drink before dinner became a regular ritual and remained so for years but in the past three years this custom has lapsed - maybe for health reasons and is observed only occasionally unless we eat dinner in a restaurant. When I planned a surprise birthday party for June on one of her special milestones with about a dozen friends, champagne was served.

Entertaining and being entertained always involved having a drink before dinner and frequently wine with dinner unless the company were abstainers. Another feature of social drinking is the cocktail party in late afternoon where alcoholic drinks are served and often some hors doevres of various kinds. But guests at a cocktail party always depart before dinner. Also it is the hospitable thing to provide the guest with the type of drink he or she most desires. And, as tastes vary widely, this results in the necessity for the host or hostess to keep on hand a considerable stock of different liquors or wines or beer. This in turn, requires frequent trips to the liquor or beer store to replenish supplies and here one meets a staggering array of different liquors, brands, bottles. Since June has been acquainted with social drinking as a good hostess for most of her adult life, she is quite familiar, as a good business woman, with the different brands and the varying prices of all alcoholic commodities found in liquor stores and she makes shrewd purchases. I have accompanied her on these visits to the liquor store but she always makes the selection and does the purchasing. I still do not feel comfortable in a liquor store and am overwhelmed by the thought of the tons of alcohol within those four walls and the damage it can do.

The only other place where I encountered social drinking was at the golf club. After a game of golf, especially on a hot day, most golfers, male and female, retire to the lounge or lunch room for a drink which is invariably beer even though the club dispenses a very tasty lemonade which I usually ordered for myself. Large quantities of beer are consumed. Some people drink to excess. Most people are satisfied with one or two glasses or bottles. At club dinners following many special tournaments pre-dinner drinking and wine with the meal are a regular part of the entertainment. I usually confine myself to one glass of wine. At Maple Leaf Estates in Florida where we usually spend five months each winter we play a lot of golf and take part in many social events. This involves attending luncheons and dinners and cocktail parties. We have met many people and made many new friends and have been entertained by our new neighbors. It is very pleasant but in every case alcoholic drinks are an important part, almost the most important part, of the entertainment. It is my observation that where a large crowd is gathered for a special function, the talking becomes louder and louder as more alcohol is consumed until it is almost impossible to carry on a normal conversation with ones neighbor. The cacophony is intolerable. Sometimes a master of ceremonies finds it impossible to quiet the hubub so that he can announce official business. As I mentioned before, I always confine my drinking to carbonated drinks or one glass of wine.

My brother, John, has always been a heavy drinker. It seems that he found this to be a necessary accompaniment to conducting business - in his case the newspaper business. But it eventually ruined his health together with excessive smoking and poor eating habits and he suffered a severe stroke shortly after he retired.

I discovered eventually that all my children and their families had succumbed to the lure of social drinking. It appears to be difficult to move freely in todays society otherwise. This is more true in the United States than in Canada. In the U.S.A. in the name of freedom almost anything is permitted, liquor is available at very low prices in drug stores, grocery stores, department stores, wine stores, liquor stores. Blatant advertising attracts young people. In Canada there is still some measure of control. Liquor and beer are available only in government - controlled liquor stores and beer stores and at inflated prices due to high taxation. Some wines are available in wine stores. In spite of these restraints social drinking is widespread and unfortunately Canadians with covetous glances are prone to copy the customs of Americans with no consideration as to whether these are good or bad. Invariably this has been to Canadas detriment not only in the realm of alcohol but in many other phases of life where American freedom has degenerated into liscence to satisfy every whim or desire with no consideration of its effect on other people. The rationale for this is that no government has the right to dictate what a person does with his private life. What is not recognized is that each individual has a responsibility to society to conduct his life in the best possible manner.

The formation of alcohol is one of the simplest and most ubiquitous chemical reactions in nature. It is essentially the anaerobic decomposition of carbohydrate-rich organic matter. From the earliest times of Mans existence it is safe to say that every tribe and nation has discovered some form of alcoholic drink. The infinite variety of organic substrates and the large number of simple and complex carbohydrates has resulted in a wide range of concentrations and a wide variety of flavours in alcoholic drinks. Drunkenness due to the mis-use of alcohol has been a fact of life among humans for many centuries. Philosophers and religious leaders have constantly denounced this practice and warned of its physical and moral dangers. But mankind remains unrepentantly addicted.

I suppose that in our society today social drinking is here to stay and excessive drinking will be a constant concomitant problem. The number of deaths and disabilities resulting from highway accidents caused by drunk driving is frightening and the number of deaths from alcohol­ induced diseases and disorders is alarming. The cost to society of the health-care for these casualties is an excessive burden that should not be inflicted on the ordinary citizen. Society is beginning to rebel and many strict measures are being taken to curb drunk driving. I applaud these. I also applaud the efforts of the Canadian organization, Concerns, is primarily a youth group devoted to promoting total abstinence - particularly among young Canadians. This organization carries great weight with legislators and is doing a very fine work. I am happy to support group with an annual contribution.

As far as I am concerned personally, I must admit that I enjoy the occasional drink of wine but I am not addicted and if I never saw another drop of alcohol as long as I lived, I would be perfectly happy and would - not miss it at all. I think that the correct Christian attitude towards with this problem in our society is best summed up in the words of St Paul,

If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no meat.