What Makes a Drunkard? by H. J. O’Connel - Pamphlet
Title: What Makes a Drunkard?
Author: H. J. O’Connell
Publisher: Liguorian Pamphlet Office, Redemptorist Fathers, Liguori, Missouri
Publication Date: Likely late 1930s– early 1940s
Pages: 16 (approx.)
Condition: Good – noticeable age toning and staining to covers; interior pages show browning consistent with age but remain fully legible and intact. Please review photos for exact condition.
Description
This vintage pamphlet What Makes a Drunkard? by H. J. O’Connell explores the social, medical, and psychological aspects of alcoholism at a time when understanding of the disease was still developing. First published in The Liguorian, a Catholic monthly magazine, the text reflects both a moral and scientific approach to the question of habitual drunkenness.
The author examines alcoholism as a psycho-neurotic reaction rooted in immaturity and avoidance of life’s responsibilities. Notably, the pamphlet discusses Alcoholics Anonymous—still a relatively young movement at the time—presenting its Twelve Steps in full as a possible solution for recovery.
This makes the pamphlet historically significant as it captures a transitional moment: when religious, medical, and early A.A. perspectives were beginning to intersect in the broader conversation about alcoholism.
Collector’s Significance
- A.A. Connection: One of the earliest Catholic pamphlets to reference Alcoholics Anonymous and its Twelve Steps.
- Cultural Artifact: Reflects period attitudes toward alcoholism, psychology, and religion.
- Scarcity: Small-run religious pamphlet, rarely preserved in collectible condition.
- Condition: Despite age toning and stains, content is fully readable and intact.
A scarce and valuable piece for collectors of early A.A. literature and the history of recovery movements.
