One of the effects of Prohibition was diseases. One of the goals of Prohibition was to cut down on deaths related to cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is a disease in the liver that is caused by excessive drinking. Women who consume more than four drinks a day were at even higher risk of contracting cirrhosis. However, alcohol use went up during Prohibition, and the goal was not achieved.  

Other than this disease many people were disabled or killed due to wood alcohol. Before prohibition the government had standards for alcohol. But when alcohol became illegal these standards deteriorated. Before prohibition alcohol was made from vegetables, fruits, and grains. This tended to be safe. You could also make alcohol from wood products. This alcohol is not safe. But, nevertheless, wood alcohol tastes the same, smells the same, and is cheaper to make. During prohibition, over 10,000 people died from wood alcohol poisoning. More would have died except one other effect is that before you died you go permanently blind. The drill was that if your vision started blurring while you were drinking you stopped and then tried to regurgitate as much of the alcohol as you could.

Another disease related to Prohibition was Jake Foot. This disease was caused when you drank too much Jamaican Ginger. This disease paralyzed feet and legs and caused people to walk strangely.

These diseases were just a few examples of the unexpected problems caused by Prohibition.