300px, The Drunkard's Progress: A lithograph by Nathaniel Currier supporting the temperance movement, January 1846. The World League Against Alcoholism was organized by the

Anti-Saloon League The Anti-Saloon League (now known as the ''American Council on Addiction and Alcohol Problems'') is an organization of the temperance movement that lobbied for prohibition in the United States in the early 20th century. Founded in 1893 in Ober ...

, whose goal became establishing

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol ...

not only in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

but throughout the entire world. As ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment creating prohibition in the U.S. neared, Anti-Saloon leader

Ernest Cherrington Ernest Cherrington (1877–1950) was a leading temperance journalist (see temperance movement). He became active in the Anti-Saloon League and was appointed editor of the organization's publishing house, the American Issue Publishing Company. He ed ...

promoted creation of the World League Against Alcoholism. Created in 1919, the new organization cooperated with temperance groups in over 50 countries on six continents. It provided assistance including speakers and educational materials to advance an international

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

. Just as the Anti-Saloon League opposed not only saloons but any consumption of alcohol, the World League Against Alcoholism not only sought to prevent alcoholism but any consumption of alcoholic beverages. Following the

repeal of prohibition The repeal of Prohibition in the United States was accomplished with the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 5, 1933. Background In 1919, the requisite number of state legislatures ratified the Eig ...

in 1933, the Anti-Saloon League's fortunes fell dramatically and it found itself unable to continue supporting the World League Against Alcoholism.

Sources

* Cherrington, Ernest. ''America and the World Liquor Problem''. Westerville, OH: American Issue Publishing Co., 1922. * Odegard, Peter H. ''Pressure Politics: The Story of the Anti-Saloon League''. NY: Columbia University Press, 1928. * Westerville (Ohio) Public Library. Leaders: Ernest Cherrington. Westerville Public Library website. World League Against Alcoholism Organizations established in 1919 1919 establishments in the United States {{US-hist-stub