Drunk

How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization

By: Edward Slingerland

Narrated by: Tom Parks

A "entertaining and enlightening" deep dive into the alcohol-soaked origins of civilization—and the evolutionary roots of humanity’s appetite for intoxication. (Daniel E. Lieberman, author of Exercised)

While plenty of entertaining books have been written about the history of alcohol and other intoxicants, none have offered a comprehensive, convincing answer to the basic question of why humans want to get high in the first place.

Drunk elegantly cuts through the tangle of urban legends and anecdotal impressions that surround our notions of intoxication to provide the first rigorous, scientifically grounded explanation for our love of alcohol. Drawing on evidence from archaeology, history, cognitive neuroscience, psychopharmacology, social psychology, literature, and genetics, Slingerland shows that our taste for chemical intoxicants is not an evolutionary mistake, as we are so often told. In fact, intoxication helps solve a number of distinctively human challenges: enhancing creativity, alleviating stress, building trust, and pulling off the miracle of getting fiercely tribal primates to cooperate with strangers. Our desire to get drunk, along with the individual and social benefits provided by drunkenness, played a crucial role in sparking the rise of the first large-scale societies. We would not have civilization without intoxication.

From marauding Vikings and bacchanalian orgies to sex-starved fruit flies, blind cave fish, and problem-solving crows, Drunk is packed with fascinating case studies and engaging science, as well as practical takeaways for individuals and communities. The result is a captivating and long overdue investigation into humanity's oldest indulgence—one that explains not only why we want to get drunk, but also how it might actually be good for us to tie one on now and then.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 by Edward Slingerland. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Absorbing...Slingerland makes a compelling case that human societies have been positively shaped by alcohol.”―The Wall Street Journal

“A spirited look at drinking”―Kirkus

“A witty and well-informed narrator, Slingerland ranges across a wide range of academic fields to make his case. Readers will toast this praiseworthy study.”―Publishers Weekly

Great content; mediocre narrator

The content of the book is not only historically fascinating, but a welcome pushback against all of the modern finger-waggers who would have you believe that even a single drop of alcohol is going to wreck your life. Moderate drinking in social situations has vast social benefits, and if you haven’t experienced them for yourself, you’re missing some of the best that life has to offer.
The narrator, unfortunately, is obviously reading throughout the presentation, as evidenced by his constant over-enunciation of prepositions (especially “to”) and other short words which should be slightly slurred/blurred into following words when speaking naturally.

Brilliant and illuminating

A truly fascinating book about a borderline taboo topic, the benefits (as we as the harms) of the human drive for intoxication. Linking science and anthropology with stories and verse it's a great listen and deeply illuminating.

A balanced, well-researched account of alcohol

I’ve been taking my time digesting this audiobook for about a year, just savoring it, and the wealth of information it has to offer. It is not a light read but well worth the journey. I came looking for a book about alcohol, but I ended up learning so much more - like what it means to be human (perspectives from psychology, sociology, anthropology). I highly recommend this book and greatly appreciate the discussion of both the benefits of alcohol (creativity, bonding) and the harms of alcohol (marginalization and violence). Overall well-balanced, well-researched, and enlightening

Strong focus on sex

I love listening to nonfiction and thought this book on alcohol would be an interesting listen between work and home but there is a strong focus on sex and the relation between alcohol and it. Not what I wanted to listen to and definitely not something I wanted playing at work.

A thorough overview of history of alcohol and it’s effects on civilization

Highly interested in the topic of longevity, I doubted there were any positive effects of alcohol besides disinfection. This book gives an informative overview of the creative and communal benefits of alcohol throughout history while allowing the reader to keep an open mind. As an almost non-drinker, I empathized with the stories of feeling left out, especially working in the IT and tech sector. I enjoyed learning that the effects of intoxication can also be achieved in non-chemically induced ways including breathing exercises and almost hypnotic movement. For myself, I find a lot of creative thinking happening while trail running in the North Pacific forests. It is a great read all around!

Interesting to listen to but not over the top.

Interesting stories. Nothing exciting to learn about as I had hoped. The speaker is a bit monotone.

A bit academic with a novel perspective

This book attempts to answer the questions: What role did alcohol play in human evolution and the development of human civilization? What role should alcohol play in modern cultures? If these questions interests you, this book may be for you.

Alcohol and Creativity

My curiosity about the connection between alcohol and creativity let me to this book. It is an interesting account of the functional benefits of chemical intoxication (mainly alcohol and psychedelics). What I found fascinating is the polarization of the comments and reviews of this book. Obviously, alcohol is a polarized topic with many arguing for either total abstinence or intoxication.

I found Slingerland's book to be well-balanced and well-researched. I spent a good deal of time in the Notes and Bibliography sections researching various social psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and psychopharmacology literature. Although Slingerland argues that alcohol serves a functional role in human cultural life (to be more creative, culturally connected, and communally trusting), he does dedicate 20% of the book to Alcohol Use Disorder (alcoholism) and the real dangers of drinking to excess. Whether you agree with Slingerland's contention or not, the case studies described in this book are interesting in of themselves. This book sets out to understand why humans become intoxicated and is successful in doing so.

Oh Dionysus,

where in this world would you fit today? Well, anywhere you did before. Only except on terms largely more complicated by these over thinking, highly stressed, fastly evolving apes. But nevertheless just as emotional.

Interesting but not what I was expecting

This is not a book about the history of alcohol. Its an interesting book but not what I was expecting. I thought it would be purely about humanity's history with alcohol and what we know about that and current theories. He does touch on that stuff but it is mainly about the author's theory of why humans drink and how it is beneficial. He then uses historical evidence as well as studies to back this up.