Out of IT: A Cultural History of Intoxication - Softcover

Walton, Stuart

3.7

166 ratings by Goodreads

9780140279771: Out of IT: A Cultural History of Intoxication

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140279776 ISBN 13: 9780140279771

Publisher: Penguin, 2002

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"Who will ever relate the history of narcotica?" asked Nietszche, adding that it is almost the history of culture itself. In this comprehensive study of intoxication throughout the ages, Stuart Walton argues that the alteration of consciousness has a very real and necessary role within human society. Drawing on anthropological, sociological, medical and historical research, Stuart Walton claims that intoxication is a fundamental human right, central to our status as social beings.

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Review:

'A fluent plea for legalisation, by the only wine writer ever to admit that one of the best things about wine is the fact that it gets you pissed.' -- Class, 1 December 2001

'Irvine Welsh and Stuart Walton have done more than most writers to change our attitudes to drug use.' -- The Independent, 16 August 2001

'Out Of It is the most refreshing book ever published on the subject ... beautifully written.' -- Big Issue, 16 July 2001

'Reading Stuart Walton's prose is a bit like going on some kind of trip. His erudition is dizzying.' -- Mail on Sunday, 29 July 2001

'True to its theme, Walton's compelling and trenchant polemic is apt to induce a welter of sensations.' -- Evening Standard, 25 June 2001

Synopsis:

In this accessible, entertaining and scholarly book, Stuart Walton takes on Nietzsche's challenge in "The Gay Science": "who will ever relate the whole history of narcotica"? It is almost the history of "culture" - from Greek and Roman antiquity, through the middle ages, the English Restoration, to the 21st century. This text guides the reader through the western history of intoxication and examines its implications for society, culture, religion and the corporeal individual. this is the first complete account of how and why human beings in all ages have had recourse to altered states of consciousness (whether through drugs or alcohol) as a primary requisite of daily life.

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