The Power of Preventive Action — Marty Mann | National Council on Alcoholism
Vintage Alcoholism Education Pamphlet
An uncommon piece of early alcoholism education history by Marty Mann, one of the most influential figures in the development of the modern alcoholism movement and a pioneering early woman in Alcoholics Anonymous.
The Power of Preventive Action presents Mann’s argument that alcoholism could not be addressed through treatment alone. Education, early identification, changing public attitudes, and removing the stigma surrounding alcoholism were all essential parts of the solution.
Mann delivered the original address at the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Western New York Committee for Education on Alcoholism in January 1954. As noted in the pamphlet, the text was later reprinted with footnote revisions in October 1959.
Marty Mann and the National Council on Alcoholism
Marty Mann devoted much of her life to changing the public understanding of alcoholism. As Executive Director of the National Council on Alcoholism, she worked to advance the idea that alcoholism should be understood as an illness rather than a moral failure and that alcoholics should be encouraged to seek treatment rather than hidden away in shame.
That philosophy is at the center of this pamphlet.
Mann discusses what she calls “preventive action”—particularly education aimed at reaching alcoholics before their illness progressed further. She argues that public education could help families, physicians, communities, and alcoholics themselves recognize the problem sooner and make treatment more accessible.
The pamphlet also offers an interesting snapshot of the alcoholism movement during this period. Mann refers to the growth of Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism clinics, educational programs, Yale’s work in the field, and the tremendous change in public attitudes that had occurred during the preceding decade.
Her concluding message is especially representative of the work she championed throughout her career: the need to remove the stigma attached to alcoholism so that people would be willing to seek help earlier.
Publication Details
Title: The Power of Preventive Action
Author: Marty Mann
Position: Executive Director, National Council on Alcoholism
Publisher: Western New York Committee for Education on Alcoholism, Inc.
Distributed by: The National Council on Alcoholism, Inc., New York
Original Address: January 1954
Reprinted with Footnote Revisions: October 1959
Format: Stapled pamphlet, 9 numbered pages
The rear cover carries the printer/publication code L57-21-5/64, indicating this particular copy is from a later printing of the address.
Condition
This vintage pamphlet is in good condition overall.
The covers show age toning, light surface wear, minor spotting and soiling, and some corner and edge wear. There is a previous owner’s name, “Robert Riddell,” stamped at the upper-right corner of the front cover.
The interior remains clean and fully readable, with general age toning and light handling wear. The original staples remain in place and the pamphlet is complete.
Please review all photographs carefully for the most accurate representation of condition.
A wonderful piece of Marty Mann and early alcoholism education history, documenting the larger public-information campaign that helped change how alcoholism was understood and treated in twentieth-century America.
