Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization

Drunk is a book that provides a comprehensive, scientifically-grounded explanation for why humans want to get high. It draws on evidence from archaeology, history, cognitive neuroscience, psychopharmacology, social psychology, literature, and genetics to show that intoxication helps solve a number of distinctively human challenges, such as enhancing creativity, alleviating stress, building trust, and pulling off the miracle of getting fiercely tribal primates to cooperate with strangers. It also explains how intoxication played a crucial role in sparking the rise of the first large-scale societies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 27 September 2022
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company

While numerous captivating books have been penned about the history of alcohol and other intoxicants, none have provided a comprehensive and convincing answer to the fundamental question of why humans seek to attain a state of altered consciousness. Drunk, a groundbreaking work of scholarship, elegantly navigates through the maze of urban legends and anecdotal impressions that cloud our understanding of intoxication, offering the first rigorous, scientifically-grounded explanation for our enduring fascination with alcohol. Drawing upon a wealth of evidence from archaeology, history, cognitive neuroscience, psychopharmacology, social psychology, literature, and genetics, Drunk reveals that our preference for chemical intoxicants is not an evolutionary blunder, as often suggested. In fact, intoxication serves a multitude of distinctively human purposes, including enhancing creativity, alleviating stress, fostering trust, and achieving the remarkable feat of bringing together fiercely tribal primates with strangers. Our inclination to get drunk, coupled with the individual and social benefits derived from drunkenness, played a pivotal role in igniting the emergence of the first large-scale societies. Without the influence of intoxication, we would not have the civilization we know today. Drunk is a treasure trove of fascinating case studies and engaging science, complemented by practical insights for individuals and communities. The result is a captivating and long overdue exploration into humanity's oldest indulgence, one that not only elucidates the reasons behind our desire to get drunk but also suggests how it may be beneficial for us to indulge in moderation from time to time.

Weight: 342g
Dimension: 138 x 209 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780316453356