Table of Contents

Foreword by Rob Montgomery Evolution Through Inebriation?

Introduction Drugs in the Animal Kingdom and Beyond

1. Crazed Cows

2. Alcohol and Animals: From Drunken Elephants to Sauced Snails

3. Frenzied Felines

4. Mushroom-Loving Reindeer and Craving Caribou

5. Galloping Goats

6. Birds on a Binge

7. Other "Out There" Animals

8. Intoxicated Insects

9. The Lazarus Fly: A New Hypothesis

10. Animals, Humans, and Drugs: The Why of It All

References

About the Author

Ethnobotanist and ethnomycologist Giorgio Samorini has studied the use of psychoactive substances for more than twenty years, conducting research in Africa, Latin America, India, and Europe. He is editor-in-chief of the scientific journal Eleusis, Plants and Psychoactive Compounds. He lives in Italy.

Reviews

"Samorini's observations support his controversial hypothesis that human drug-taking derives from a universal biologically-based drive to alter consciousness. This perspective on drug-taking behavior can only enlarge our own views about the phenomenon which, in many humans, has become so contentious."
*Rick Strassman, author of DMT: The Spirit Molecule and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, U*

"Samorini offers support for not only the theory of a biological basis of the pursuit of altered states, but also the possibility that this activity may expand the behavioral repertoire, thus altering evolution. Provocative reading."
*Julie Holland, MD, Editor, Ecstasy: The Complete Guide Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, B*

"This must be one of the most important books about animals - or drugs - that you are likely to read."
*Mark Pilkington, Fortean Times, December 2002*

“Giorgio Samorini’s text is a beautiful little object. Not only is the information that it contains fascinating, but also pitched at a level that is very engaging and thought-provoking. The question of intentionality and the natural inclination toward intoxication is neatly crafted together and explored, and gives the impression that this field of study is well worth further investigation by researchers.”
*Psychedelic Press UK, January 2013*