Addiction: A Reference Encyclopedia

The intentional ingestion of chemical substances to stimulate the nervous system can be observed in a wide variety of creatures, from ants to elephants. It certainly seems to be a cultural universal among humans: I do not know of any human society that does not have its intoxicants. Archaeological evidence suggests that the practice goes far back into the earliest beginnings of human prehistory. Some of the earliest written records relate to the pleasures of brewing, but nearly as old are writings expressing concern at the damage the use or misuse of intoxicants can do both to the individual and...