Out of It: A Cultural History of Intoxication

By: Stuart Walton

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Synopsis: Out of It offers a contrarian, controversial look at the role of intoxicating drugs in human society, throughout history, and today. Who will ever relate the history of narcotica?" asked Nietzsche, adding that it is almost the history of culture itself. In this engaging and often surprising consideration of intoxication, Stuart Walton shines a penetrating light on the history of drug use, from ancient Greece and Rome to the Victorian era to our own time, from alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco to opiates, amphetamines, and hallucinogens. Does the ritual and recreational use of intoxicants have a legitimate and necessary role in our lives? Do efforts to stamp out such behavior cause more harm than good? In the wake of the multibillion-dollar "War on Drugs, " why has the illicit drug market only expanded? Drawing on anthropological, sociological, medical, and historical research, Walton arrives at answers that cut across the grain of today's prevailing attitudes on the subject.