{"product_id":"essential-substances-a-cultural-history-of-intoxicants-in-society-9781568360164","title":"Essential Substances: A Cultural History of Intoxicants in Society","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom 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 mystics  statesmen and writers  housewives and yuppies. From the traditional mind-altering substances - like magic mushrooms in Siberia  tobacco and peyote in the Americas  qat in Africa  and betel in Southeast Asia - to the psychoactive plants of medieval witchcraft  hallucinogens like LSD and marijuana  and stimulants like coffee  tea  and cocoa  Rudgley cogently shows how the significance of these substances extends beyond simple pleasure to the economic  political  and sexual life of the community. In the process  he challenges our assumptions that deem certain intoxicants socially and legally acceptable  while others remain taboo. Essential Substances is a timely  much-needed reconsideration of the roles intoxicants play in our lives and society. With the \"war on drugs\" now widely seen to be a failure  this insightful  cross-cultural look at the word of intoxicants will provide a new basis for creative thinking on a perennial problem.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45656000266293,"sku":"ByrdShop_1568360169","price":66.34,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781568360164.jpg?v=1781949321","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/essential-substances-a-cultural-history-of-intoxicants-in-society-9781568360164","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}