Intoxication: The Universal Drive for Mind-Altering Substances

SOCIAL SCIENCE / DRUGS

“Reading Intoxication one becomes conscious of the many different aspects of the drug problem, of the usefulness and dangers of psychoactive substances, and of their role and importance in medicine, in religious rituals, and in daily life. . . . Impressive . . . fascinating . . . ”
ALBERT HOFMANN, PH.D., author of LSD: My Problem Childand coauthor of Plants of the Gods

“Compelling . . . fact-packed. . . . The author carefully surrounds any potential pro-drug interpretation with ample (and graphic) examples of the dangers of drug abuse. . . . thought-provoking.”
BOOKLIST

History shows that people have always used intoxicants. In every age, in every part of the world, people have pursued intoxication with plants, alcohol, and other mind-altering substances. In fact, this behavior has so much force and persistence that it functions much like our drives for food, sleep, and sex. This “fourth drive,”says psycho-pharmacologist Ronald K. Siegel, is a natural part of our biology, creating an irrepressible demand for intoxicating substances.

In this book Siegel draws upon his twenty years of groundbreaking research to provide countless examples of the intoxication urge in humans, animals, and even insects. The detailed observations of his so-called psychonauts--study participants trained to explicitly describe their drug experiences--as well as numerous studies with animals have helped him to identify the behavior patterns induced by different intoxicants. Presenting his conclusions on the biological as well as cultural reasons for the pursuit of intoxication and showing that personality and guidance often define the outcome of a drug experience, Siegel offers a broad understanding of the intoxication phenomenon as well as recommendations for curbing the negative aspects of drug use in Western culture by designing safe intoxicants.

RONALD K. SIEGEL, PH.D., is a psychopharmacologist on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA School of Medicine and is a leading authority on the social and psychological effects of drug use. The author of Fire in the Brainand Whispers: The Voices of Paranoia, his research has also appeared in Psychology Today, Scientific American, and Omnias well as the Journal of the American Medical Associationand the American Journal of Psychiatry. He lives in Los Angeles.

Just like the drives of hunger, thirst, and sex, says Siegel (psychopharmacology, U. of California-Los Angeles), the fourth drive is a natural part of biology for almost every species of animal, creating the irrepressible demand for drugs: the war on drugs is a war against ourselves, a denial of our very nature. Among his revelations are that there are available right now intoxicants that provide the same effect as illegal and harmful ones, but without the danger. The 1998 edition Intoxication: Life in the Pursuit of Artificial Paradise was published by E.P. Dutton.
Annotation �2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Just like the drives of hunger, thirst, and sex, says Siegel (psychopharmacology, U. of California-Los Angeles), the fourth drive is a natural part of biology for almost every species of animal, creating the irrepressible demand for drugs: the war on drugs is a war against ourselves, a denial of our very nature. Among his revelations are that there are available right now intoxicants that provide the same effect as illegal and harmful ones, but without the danger. The 1998 edition Intoxication: Life in the Pursuit of Artificial Paradise was published by E.P. Dutton. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Psychopharmacologist Ronald K. Siegel draws on 20 years of groundbreaking research to provide countless examples of the intoxication urge in humans and animals. Presenting his conclusions on the biological and cultural reasons for the pursuit of intoxication, Siegel offers recommendations for curbing the negative effects of drug use in Western culture by designing safe intoxicants.

A scientific and cultural exploration of the pursuit of altered states of consciousness in both humans and animals

• Contains myriad studies and examples from the author's 20 years of research

• By the foremost authority on the social and psychological effects of drug use

History shows that people have always used intoxicants. In every age, in every part of the world, people have pursued intoxication with plants, alcohol, and other mind-altering substances. In fact, this behavior has so much force and persistence that it functions much like our drives for food, sleep, and sex. This "fourth drive," says psychopharmacologist Ronald K. Siegel, is a natural part of our biology, creating the irrepressible demand for intoxicating substances.

In Intoxication Siegel draws upon his 20 years of groundbreaking research to provide countless examples of the intoxication urge in humans, animals, and even insects. The detailed observations of his so-called psychonauts--study participants trained to explicitly describe their drug experiences--as well as numerous studies with animals have helped him to identify the behavior patterns induced by different intoxicants. Presenting his conclusions on the biological as well as cultural reasons for the pursuit of intoxication and showing that personality and guidance often define the outcome of a drug experience, Siegel offers a broad understanding of the intoxication phenomenon as well as recommendations for curbing the negative aspects of drug use in Western culture by designing safe intoxicants.

Ronald K. Siegel, Ph.D., is a psychopharmacologist on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA School of Medicine and is a leading authority on the social and psychological effects of drug use. The author of Fire in the Brain and Whispers: The Voices of Paranoia, his research has also appeared in Psychology Today, Scientific American, and Omni as well as the Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Journal of Psychiatry. He lives in Los Angeles.

Preface

Prologue

Introduction

Part I: The Drugs

1 War in Eden

       Origins of Plant Drugs

2 A Trip of Goats

       Discovery of Poisons and

            Intoxicants

3 Falling Birds and Flying Cats

       Accidents with Hallucinogens

4 A Shrewdness of Apes

       Learning to Use Tobacco and

            Other Drugs

5 Ark on the Rocks

       Alcohol as the Universal Intoxicant

6 Milk of Paradise 

       Romance and Addiction with

            Opium

7 Emerald Laughter 

       Hashish and Marijuana

8 Forced March 

       Coca and Cocaine

9 A Bevy of Beasts 

       Drugs in the Social Group

Part II: The Drive

10 The Fourth Drive 

       Motivation for Intoxication

11 Fire in the Brain 

       Mental Marvels, Murder, and

            Mechanisms of Control

12 Star-Spangled Powders 

       Drugs and the American Way

13 War on Drugs 

       Enduring Supplies and Demands

14 Waking Dreams 

       Drugs in the Future 

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

Bibliography

Index