Why do smokers claim that the first cigarette of the day is the
best? What is the biological basis behind some heavy drinkers'
belief that the "hair-of-the-dog" method alleviates the effects of
a hangover? Why does marijuana seem to affect ones problem-solving
capacity? "Intoxicating Minds" is, in the author's words, "a grand
excavation of drug myth." Neither extolling nor condemning drug
use, it is a story of scientific and artistic achievement, war and
greed, empires and religions, and lessons for the future.
Ciaran Regan looks at each class of drugs, describing the
historical evolution of their use, explaining how they work within
the brain's neurophysiology, and outlining the basic pharmacology
of those substances. From a consideration of the effect of
stimulants, such as caffeine and nicotine, and the reasons and
consequences of their sudden popularity in the seventeenth century,
the book moves to a discussion of more modern stimulants, such as
cocaine and ecstasy. In addition, Regan explains how we process
memory, the nature of thought disorders, and therapies for treating
depression and schizophrenia. Regan then considers psychedelic
drugs and their perceived mystical properties and traces the
history of placebos to ancient civilizations. Finally,
"Intoxicating Minds" considers the physical consequences of our
co-evolution with drugs -- how they have altered our very being --
and offers a glimpse of the brave new world of drug therapies.
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