Intoxication in Mythology: A Worldwide Dictionary of Gods, Rites, Intoxicants and Places

In the preface Andrew T. Weil, an authority on the subject of intoxicants, is referred to as saying that human beings have an “innate, normal drive” to alter their consciousness, almost as a basic physical need. This book provides a fairly thorough guide to the world's mythologies and the ways in which intoxicants played or play an important role in the way in which our world has either been made or is currently understood.

As the author indicates, almost every society on earth has used some kind of consciousness‐altering substance; in fact, it is a prerequisite for many cultures in...