Thread by @ill_Scholar

A Culture's Drug Use Explains the Culture

They Change Over time, marking greater cultural shifts

Thread🧵on the Culture of Drug Use, starting with Hallucinogens

Distinct Evidence of Hallucinogenic Drug Use Dates Back 3000 Years.

However, Humans have likely used Hallucinogens even longer.

We just don't have hard proof of it

The type of Hallucinogens taken varies widely based on what is available to a Culture (What they have in their Physical Area)

Many "primitive" Cultures living Traditional Hunter-Gatherer or Pastoralist Ways of Life have Cultures Based on Hallucinogens

A well known Hallucinogen, Ayahuasca is a brew made in South America

Ayahuasca is known as "Vine of Souls" and "Rope of the Dead"

Creation of the Brew and it's Administration is generally the job of a Shaman, who Guides the Journey, similar to many other cultures

While Ayahuasca is processed into a Brew, other Hallucinogens are even less processed

Fly Agaric (Amanita Muscaria) is one form of Hallucinogenic Mushroom from Eurasia

In Gabon, Africa, some Groups practice Bwiti, which includes the use of a pyschedelic root bark of the Tabernanthe Iboga Plant.

Like other Hallucinogens the use is administered by a Shaman

The use of these drugs is often considered entry into a "spirit" realm

By Definition Hallucinogenic Use Means Accepting the existent of a Spirit World, or at least one Version of it.

Hallucinogenic Practices are Discouraged by many modern nations today, which puts these practices under attack

ALCOHOL NEXT

Alcohol is Heavily Associated with Settled Life.

One Theory Even Posits the Idea that Humans Settled Down to Brew Beer from Grain.

Regardless, Brewing Alcohol requires more time than Hallucinogens and Generally more Processing

Boiling Beer Allowed for Safer Drinking

Basically Everyone Was Drunk in the Middle Ages in Europe all the Time, it had low ABV but high consumption

Work Included Beer Breaks

But anyone who has ever had a drink knows this has some Drawbacks

Which brings us to the Western Shift to Caffeine from alcohol

Tea Required More Processing than Beer, and Coffee Even more Still

This increased Processing is a Trend that becomes even more obvious with Pharmaceuticals (next)

But First, more on Coffee and Capitalism

Tea and then Coffee's Adoption was pushed in the Early Modern Period (16-18th c) in the West

Hierarchical Diffusion (Top Down Cultural Adoption) Occurred with the drinking of Coffee over Time:

First the Aristocracy, then Yeomen, then regular People

Caffeine adoption was promoted in the workplace

Coffee breaks and free coffee was perceived (likely correctly) to correlate with better workplace efficiency

The Drinking of Coffee in Coffeehouses (and ensuing gathered discussions) is considered integral to the Enlightenment.

Ideas of Men like Locke and Montesqui were fueled by Coffee

This was understood at the time, the Ottoman Sultan even banned coffee in 1633

Today, 67% of American Adults Consume Caffeine DAILY, making it the main drug of Choice of American Culture.

Similar to the Rate at Which English Drank Beer in the Late Middle Ages and even into the Early Modern Period

But what About Prohibition?

Legally, or just with Cultural Acceptance

Our culture Promotes Caffeine & bans Hallucinogens and Marijuana

Which is probably why Rockefeller donated 13 million to ban it

In the Modern West we have other Drugs Besides Caffeine but all of those are then altered in line with an industrial, HYPER PROCESSED Society

Caffeine PILLS

Hallucinogens in LSD Tabs and concentrated DMT

Adderall vs Coffee for Work

Fentantyl vs Opium

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