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Almost from the beginning of the history of man examples can be found of the consumption of substances that offer no nutritional value. Consuming a plant or something that produces a feeling of ease or comfort provided man with a feeling of power. The consumption of alcohol or plants caused feelings of euphoria in early man, enough so that many civilizations thought that drugs or alcohol allowed man to tap into the power of the gods.
Perhaps the feature that most distinguishes man from other animals has been the ability to adapt or alter environment to promote survival. This led to the experimentation of using plants to improve or change an individuals’ psychological health. The resulting experiences that were the most profound have continued on and often been integrated into secular and religious cultures.
Some of the earliest documented drug experimentation occurred in ancient Mesopotamia. The poppy was cultivated sometime between 4000 and 3000 B.C. The opium derived from the poppy was turned into gil, which means “happiness and joy”. Marijuana is another drug that shows up in the recorded history of early man. While these drugs have become taboo and even outlawed in modern society, alcohol has not only maintained its popularity since man first got plastered, it also has become a widely acceptable form of recreation.
Alcohol consumptions can be easily traced back to the earliest societies. Ancient Egyptian society often consumed beer, and the god Osiris supposedly taught the Egyptians about brewing. In Ancient Greece alcohol was a gift from Dionysius, the god of the grape.
Man’s experimentation with drugs and alcohol seems to be part of the human experience, which means that finding effect ways to combat addictions is difficult. Drugs and alcohol have always fascinated and enticed man. And with thousands of years of tradition and history on the side of experimentation the most effective form of treatment, prevention, faces difficult odds.
