... absorbing ... None of these claims by itself is new, but Mr. Slingerland’s book-length synthesis is original ... He isn’t always careful to distinguish what degree of intoxication is beneficial, overplaying the so-called delights of oblivion...Exactly what degrees of drunkenness benefit us matters because, as Mr. Slingerland acknowledges toward the end of his book, the fact that alcohol has served us well historically doesn’t mean that it continues to do so now ... Although Mr. Slingerland ultimately provides balance, most of the time his arguments read more like those of a defendant than an impartial judge. This leads him to add some dodgy data to his dossier ... Mr. Slingerland makes a compelling case that human societies have been positively shaped by alcohol, although the conclusion that 'we could not have civilization without intoxication' is too strong. It’s pure speculation to suggest that without liquor we’d not have found other ways to bond, build trust and alleviate stress. While it’s refreshing to see that demon drink has angelic qualities, the bitter truth is that its dark side now threatens to overshadow them. We may have started relaxing with Dr. Jekyll, but we risk ending up wasted with Mr. Hyde.

There is serious anthropology here, including the tantalizing theory that beer, not bread, was the stimulus for the agricultural revolution. Slingerland’s informal, conversational style weaves modern scientific studies with ancient mythology ... An illuminating yet conversational study that takes an anthropological approach to a widespread and often puzzling human behavior.

... effervescent ... a rowdy banquet of a book in which the ancient Roman historian Tacitus, Lord Byron, Timothy Leary, George Washington, the Chinese poet Tao Yuanming and many others toast the merits of drowning Apollonian reason in Dionysian abandon ... Slingerland is adamant that chemically induced communion is just as valuable (and perhaps particularly necessary) in modern times, but he does address alcohol’s more obvious medical and economic costs, the devastating effects of addiction and the subtle, pernicious ways in which drinking can alienate and exclude outsiders. Some readers might find the treatment cursory given the gravity of these issues, but Slingerland simply argues that they have been well documented, whereas serious scholarly work on the value of intoxication is surprisingly scant ... Slingerland takes up the cause with all the chivalry of a knight-errant, and his infectious passion makes this book a romp as well as a refreshingly erudite rejoinder to the prevailing wisdom.

Authors praising booze come up with the damndest things,,,Slingerland, though, has no truck with drunky cuteness. He’s a scholar, with solid academic credentials and a professorial display of charts and statistics, which readers can comfortably skip but that do provide scientific and historical justification for a wealth of jarring and entertaining statements.

... written in a straight-forward and lively, entertaining personal style. Slingerland amuses and educates, not just about ethanol excess, but also the relevance for understanding guilty pleasures as a whole, in the present and in its ancient roots.

The author strains mightily at that evolutionary fabric to make drunken behavior seem beneficial. Only after this does he look at the dark side of drunk, blaming all of the ills associated with excesses on distilled and/or concentrated drugs and the idea of drinking alone. Finally, he suggests that we coerce drinkers to be moderate and considerate when they imbibe. He mentions but glosses over the enormous social, physical, mental, and societal costs of what he is suggesting ... There are some interesting quotations from historical drinkers. However, the rhetorical gyrations to make poisons fit into an evolutionary slot got tedious by the end and his arguments did not convince me of his position.

... entertaining and informative ... 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.

In the final chapter, the author cautions against imbibing distilled spirits and drinking 'outside of the traditional context of ritual and social controls,' contradicting his earlier assertion that many artists and writers 'unleashed' their creativity by drinking hard liquor, alone ... A hyperbolic but entertaining defense of intoxication via alcohol.