The author of the book, famous cognitive psychologist Edward Slingerland, suggests looking at familiar things in a new way. Pleasure and enjoyment, in his opinion, should be considered from the point of view of evolutionary necessity. Having accumulated a lot of interesting material on the history of alcohol, the scientist paints a comprehensive picture of the relationship between humans and intoxicating substances. “Evolution rewards us with a drop of pleasure for the fact that we contribute to the implementation of its plans, be it taking care of our own body or passing on genes to offspring.” Over the course of thousands of years, people showed miracles of ingenuity to achieve their cherished goal - to get a drink that can cheer up, facilitate communication and, most importantly, help adapt to existence in a difficult environment and cope with all difficulties. But if in small doses alcohol is our helper and friend, then in large doses it is a sworn enemy and destroyer. Why is this happening? Is it possible to make the most of the benefits of intoxicants while taking control of their violent effects? In a light, humorous manner, Slingerland answers these questions. He takes the reader on an exciting journey through the past, cheerfully talks about drinking traditions in modern societies, and, in addition, explains how people in the future can make alcohol a factor in social progress. “Alcohol intoxication was supposed to help people survive.”

Features: Photos of historical artifacts, diagrams from the field of chemistry, comic book pictures, graphs and diagrams, cognitive and other studies, statistical tables, photos of experiment participants.