staggers. When a man takes a certain amount of alcohol his small brain
and spinal cord become partly paralyzed, so that they cannot do their
duty well; and so, when he tries to walk he reels and stumbles along,
often falling down, and sometimes hurting himself very much. The fact is
that the alcohol has put his spinal cord and small brain to sleep so
that he cannot make his legs do what he wants them to do. Now, if still
more alcohol is taken the whole brain becomes paralyzed, and then the
man is so nearly dead that we say he is "dead drunk." It is exceedingly
dangerous to become dead drunk, as the brain may be so completely
paralyzed that it will not recover.

~6.~ A small amount of alcohol does not make a man dead drunk, but it
poisons and paralyzes his brain and nerves just according to the
quantity he takes.

~7.~ If a person holds a little alcohol in his mouth for a few moments,
the tongue and cheeks feel numb. This is because the alcohol paralyzes
them so that they cannot feel or taste. When taken into the stomach it
has much the same kind of effect upon the nerves of the whole body.

~8. Alcohol a Deceiver.~--A hungry man takes a drink of whiskey and
benumbs the nerves of his stomach so that he does not feel hungry.
Alcohol puts to sleep the sentinels which Nature has set in the body to
warn us of danger. A man who is cold takes alcohol and feels warm,
though he is really colder. He lies down in his false comfort and
freezes to death. A tired man takes his glass of grog and feels rested
and strong, though he is really weaker than before. A poor man gets
drunk and feels so rich that he spends what little money he has. The
alcohol paralyzes his judgment and steals away his good sense. Thus
alcohol is always a deceiver.