Last Updated on April 4, 2025 by 2626robert
Prohibition in the United States officially lasted from 1920 to 1933.
Key dates:
- 18th Amendment ratified: January 16, 1919
- Prohibition began: January 17, 1920 (when the Volstead Act went into effect)
- Prohibition ended: December 5, 1933 (with the ratification of the 21st Amendment, which repealed the 18th)
During this time, the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol were banned nationwide — though consumption wasn’t technically illegal. It led to the rise of speakeasies, bootlegging, organized crime, and widespread disregard for the law.
Prohibition had mixed and often contradictory effects on sobriety.
On the surface:
Yes — alcohol consumption did initially drop when Prohibition began in 1920. Arrests for public drunkenness decreased, and some people took the law seriously and quit drinking altogether.
But over time:
- Illegal alcohol markets exploded — bootlegging, speakeasies, and organized crime filled the gap.
- People drank more dangerously — turning to poorly made or toxic alcohol (like “bathtub gin”).
- Law enforcement struggled to keep up, and many average citizens ignored the law.
By the late 1920s, alcohol use was climbing back up, and the problems caused by Prohibition (crime, corruption, public health issues) were seen as outweighing the benefits. So while there was a short-term dip in alcohol use, Prohibition didn’t lead to lasting sobriety — and in many ways, it backfired.