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From opium in Stone Age caves to crack on our own streets, intoxicants have always played a deeply significant role in society. In this entertaining and provocative look at the uses and abuses of mind-altering drugs through history, Richard Rudgley shows how our attitudes toward these substances have been shaped by cultural values, and how our own use of intoxicants like alcohol, coffee, tea, and tobacco is an integral part of the age-old worldwide quest for altered states. Essential Substances is a magical tour of the fantastic and often bizarre world of intoxicants peopled by tribesmen and…
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Editions
2 editions- Paperback · English · 1995Kodansha Globe · 195 pages · 9781568360751
- Hardcover · English · 1994Kodansha America · 224 pages · 9781568360164
Cross-cultural studiesHistoryNarcoticsPsychotropic drugsDrinking of alcoholic beveragesDroguesCross-Cultural ComparisonHistoire