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

A comprehensive historical and scientific account of how and why Homo sapiens use intoxicating substances since antiquity.

nice hardback book

The author is aggressively pro-drinking and only comes from that one perspective throughout the book.This is not a balanced or accurate understanding of history because he makes it out as though all cultures are pro-alcohol and that different people of different cultures and faiths don't have different attitudes or approaches when it comes to drinking alcohol, just as with pre-marital sex etc. In other words, not all people see drinking as a positive thing to do.He hammers on throughout the book that in ancient history, lots of people drank and that alcohol played a social role all over the world, which is true. However, he sweeps right over the level of devastation caused to so many lives by drinking and getting drunk. He insists that this is an ethical and even 'essential' thing to do, almost to the point that he believes we're incapable of socialising or having a good time without alcohol.In workplaces, there is a huge pressure placed on people to drink and attend the pub after work. Particularly Muslim colleagues who often don't wish to participate in this and their refusal to do so can actually have career-destroying consequences. I've seen people get fired over it. It's discrimination. The author doesn't explore such issues, as again, he has a view that is very biased in favour of drinking.The author refuses to consider any other point of view on this subject, such as that maybe people have their own personal reasons for not drinking as much as past generations.Also, be mindful that the author has in the past made Islamophobic comments such as 'early Islam banned alcohol to distinguish itself culturally from its other Middle East and Mediterranean neighbors'. By making such comments, he has belittled and disrespected people's faith and how important it is to them.

This book asks and suggests answers to some interesting questions, but does so at unnecessary length and repetitively. Inside its 300 pages there's a a 100 page monograph waiting to get out. Meanwhile, not everybody will respond positively to the author's relentlessly jokey style. And the popular cultural references favoured are specific to the USA, sometimes leaving global readers guessing. Overall, a great idea that doesn't quite hit the spot.

I was lucky enough to preview this book. Unfortunately it's a pretty poor one, not worth adding to my small collection of alcohol related volumes. The theories have been discussed before in other more informative and entertaining books, and while existing explanations are dismissed as unsatisfactory, no insightful conclusions have really been drawn despite the excess word padding (and this is coming from someone who likes reading long books).I'm pretty sure the author was trying to be humorous throughout, but it felt stale and sometimes genuinely disrespectful of other cultures for the sake of it. In conclusion, this is all regurgitated material and can be described as pointless for someone who has already read into the subject.Here is a honest summary using a line from the book itself:"All we are told about is the booze, and then, you know, yada yada yada, some other stuff."

Well researched and argued defence of alcohol as a bringer of pleasure. He doesn’t gloss over the negatives but argues instead for mindful use.

Slingerland pulls together disparate fields of knowledge for a deeper understanding of how they are related. The research alone is astonishing. So glad I read this-- it's easily one of my favorites. I used bookmarks to flip back and forth to the notes (organized by chapter) that gave even more information, context, and insight.Hidden gems for me include occasional digs at karaoke that made me laugh out loud.

Muy interesante y lógica visión de la importancia del consumo de alcohol en el proceso de civilización de los humanos. Permite entender que la visión moralista racional tan vigente es muy incompleta. El análisis del impacto del alcohol abarca todas las civilizaciones de la antigüedad en todos los continentes, cada uno con su forma de hacer brebajes intoxicantes con los productos que tenían. Aunque, sin duda, hay inconvenientes de salud en el consumo de alcohol, por otro lado hay beneficios claros, científicamente demostrados, en creatividad, sociabilidad y capacidad de llegar a acuerdos.A esos aspectos positivos del libro, debo contraponer que se hace largo y repetitivo. No todos los ejemplos que propone construyen por sobre los anteriores ya leídos. Al final se hace un poco pesado, sin que eso detraiga del mensaje bien armado del libro. Mi impresión es que podría haberse dicho lo mismo con 30-40% menos de texto.

Unbelievable how knowledgeable he is!. He draws on examples from all continents and almost all eras of history. A fantastic read that puts alcohol in a proper context. This book is extremely well researched and written. However, someone might tell him that kimchi does not refer to pickles, but to pickled, fermented foodstuffs.

which fails to answer its own question "Why do we get drunk?"