Intoxication: Life in Pursuit of Artificial Paradise

by Ronald K. Siegel

A renowned psychopharmacologist tells us why drugs are here to stay--because the pursuit of intoxication is a "Fourth Drive", as unstoppable as hunger, thirst, and sex. He suggests we learn from animals, who also pursue intoxicants, and design safe intoxicants through technology and education.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Science, Drugs, Addiction, Biology, Brain

390 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

American psychiatrist, research professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles (as recently as 2005), and the author of several noted studies and books on psychopharmacology, hallucination, and paranoia.

Reviews

[Alissa Thorne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would love to be able to say that this book is a broad survey of psychoactive drugs and the impact on those who use them. I would love to be able to say that it is packed full of information, and that such an expansive work has given me a new perspective on the relationship of mind altering chemicals with our culture, even our species.

And while I am tempted to say those things, I am afraid that the strongest thing I took away from this book was that I cannot trust it.

It was fairly early in the book that I started to get the nagging feeling that many of the stories had a sensationalist, anecdotal twinge. However, given the frequent references to studies, many of which were undertaken by the author himself, I withheld judgment. But it was not long though before the book ventured into territory I am familiar with and my nagging suspicions were confirmed. Many of the accounts seemed anomalous examples at best, and in many cases flat out false.

What I consider even more damning is the subjects that were not covered. The many ways that psychoactive states have been beneficial--medicinal use, for example was barely touched upon. Worse, the myriad real risks from drug use--not as glamorous as stabbing your party guest on a dose of PCP. Siegel is no better than those spreading uninformed rumors, or the drug propaganda he criticizes. By focusing on the edge cases, he leaves readers unprepared for the real risks that face them.

This is all the more saddening because there is such a dense and diverse supply of information in this book. From amusing and fascinating tales of drug use in the animal kingdom; to tales of drug use by the mentally unstable; to a history of drug use by our presidents. I only find it disheartening that I cannot trust the validity of any of the so called facts in this book.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, a UCLA psychopharmacologist, has devoted his career to the study of intoxicant uses and effects among different species, including the human. Among other things, he adduces the hypothesis that humans 'discovered' psychoactive agents by observing the practices of other animals. Regarding such practices as a natural drive, as fundamental as sex, he ends his study with a call to decriminalize (but not necessarily legalize) drugs, treating their use as a medical/psychological issue, not a criminal one, and urges his colleagues to work towards the creation of safer intoxicants.

Having read many books about psychoactive drugs, I found this one exceptionally well written as well as occasionally amusing. The animal aspect was, for me, novel and illuminating.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a very interesting perspective on the idea that humans have a fourth natural drive for altered states of mind and intoxication. I think most of the research in the book was very interesting and provided a lot of knowledge I didn't already have about cultural uses of drugs, some possible alternatives for drugs like cocaine and heroin in terms of effects but with lowered risks, and how addiction occurs with animals just like it does with humans.

For the places it stuck to science, this book was incredible.

However, it does seem that the author has gone rather out on a limb with the conclusions he draws from the research he has been exposed to. I do agree that further research is essential and that through it we could possibly create substances that are safer and more useful to us than some of the drugs available to us today. I don't agree that legalization could never work or could never be the answer and I really struggle to draw that conclusion from any of the premises the author laid out. I really don't follow the logic. Admittedly, there will always be risks with drugs, just like there will always be risks with anything, but we weigh the risks and benefits and sometimes the risks are worth the benefits. Getting behind the wheel of the car carries with it a fairly significant risk of getting into a fatal or debilitating car accident, but the benefits of being able to get quickly from one place to another outweigh that for most people. I think that with proper education, similar to how one has to obtain a license to drive a car, people could be trusted to take calculated and informed risks when it comes to their own minds and bodies. We need to develop more "seat belts" and "air bags" when it comes to drug use and develop an understanding that we should always be prepared for the consequences of the risks we take, but that it shouldn't stop us from ever driving.

I am very glad Siegel took time out to mention that there is a significant number of people who use mind altering substances without falling into patterns of addiction or abuse. These people aren't studied as much because they are not as obvious as addicts and do not cause societal problems or bring much attention to themselves. Arguably, though, these are the majority of drug users. It is important to study this demographic, and see how their habits and strategies can help us to understand addiction and find better ways to avoid it. I guess it still just shocks me that even with this understanding, he still takes a very hard stance against legalization and regulation.

I definitely think our society needs to change its attitude toward intoxication and altered states of mind just for pleasure's sake. This is an important perspective, but I would like to hear more from the author what he thinks that might look like if it actually occurred. He speaks out against legalization, but then what does he mean by legalization? He is obviously of the mind that using for pleasure is something that can be healthy and okay to do provided the substance being used had an adequate safety net. But if not legalization, then how are people to obtain these? Simply through physician prescription? How are they to be prescribed things that are just for pleasure and not to cure some kind of physical or mental illness?

Overall, I was pleased with the research that the book put forward, and I think the author offered up some useful and unique perspectives in relation to drugs and the attitudes we give them. However, I think that the author needs to be more clear in defining the legal structure he thinks would work as well as just the utopian ideal that we will find drugs that have all the benefits with few or none of the risks. He also writes in somewhat of a whimsical fashion that doesn't really become a book of this type in his introductions and epilogue. As much as I appreciate flowery language in a fiction novel, a nonfiction work is not somewhere for it.

[Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boy, howdy, this was an eye opener. Siegel first describes intoxicant seeking behaviour in animals, from slugs to elephants, chickens, monkeys, wrens, dogs, ad nauseum (well, I assume they were feeling sick after all that, I do.) Then he describes his human research subjects, including the pot grower who only eats tomatoes. Wrapping up is a detailed description of our presidents' intoxicant use. Oh, yes they did.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really interesting book. The author makes the argument that following the human drive for food, sleep, and sex, intoxication is the "fourth drive." He has spent his career studying intoxication, and provides a ton of example of how animals (e.g., birds, elephants) and insects seek out intoxicating substances. Some of the descriptions of his in-the-field observations are fascinating and funny. Good read, and I learned a lot.

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intoxication: The Universal Drive For Mind-Altering Substances by Ronald K. Siegel (Park Street Press 2005) (154.4) (3648).

This is an interesting approach to the matter of intoxication. Author Ronald K. Siegel begins with a comprehensive background sketch of how and why plants evolved intoxicants (an example of “secondary compounds” - substances produced by plants/fungi which have no known metabolic functions but which evince the adaptive significance of repellent properties to insects and herbivores (e.g. tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins, alkaloids, etc.).

The book considers how animals acquired or evolved defenses to these secondary substances and the ways that animals have adapted to deal with them: by biochemical adaptations to plant chemicals, by evolving feeding strategies that minimize the risk of toxicity (rapid metabolic detoxification, rapid excretion, tolerance development/acquired resistance), and by evolving methods to perceive the presence of alkaloids (through olfaction (smell), gustation (taste), or urtication (touch, as in stinging nettles).

Siegel presents an interesting overview of the drug and alcohol use of the US Presidents - at least through FDR. The most notable allegations include these assessments / assertions: Franklin Pierce was the first alcoholic president; he died of cirrhosis of the liver. James Buchanan was said to be able to “outdrink anyone,” while Andrew Johnson was said to be “rarely sober.” Ulysses S. Grant was a compulsive solitary drinker and an alcoholic who smoked 750 cigars per month. Rutherford B. Hayes never used alcohol or tobacco; his wife Lucy is called the “patron saint of the WCTU.” (But Siegel reports, “Toward the end of his life, Hayes wondered if he had been too puritanical and pondered the Madisonian doctrine of “innocent gratifications”: “In avoiding the appearance of evil, I am not sure but I have sometimes unnecessarily deprived myself and others of innocent enjoyments.” (p.263)). William McKinley was a heavy smoker who was reported to use ten to twenty cigars per day. Theodore Roosevelt was a nonsmoker and a coffee addict. Calvin Coolidge smoked but was a teetotaller. Franklin Roosevelt drank alcohol and smoked four packs of cigarettes each day.

The author considers the “War on Drugs” which recent presidents have often declared (Nixon 1971, Ford 1976, Reagan 1982). Though these “wars” were trumpeted loudly, their effect has been minimal. For example, Siegel relates the history of “Operation Cooperation” in which the US sought to have Mexican police destroy the cannabis crop in Northern Mexico by spraying it with poison with the strategy of cutting off available supplies to users and to reduce demand. The result? US cannabis users received a supply of more potent weed from farther south in Mexico and points beyond. According to Siegel, the net result of Operation Cooperation was to introduce sinsemilla (seedless female cannabis) to the US, to increase the THC content sevenfold, and to promote north-of-the-border homegrown US cultivation!

The final section of the book considers drugs in the future. Siegel states that the US should view intoxicants going forward as “adaptogens,” which he defines as “substances that help people adjust to changes in their physical or mental environment.”

Siegel is persuasive, and this book is crammed with fascinating trivial asides. I suspect, however, that Siegel is preaching mainly to the choir.

My rating: 7.25/10, finished 6/12/22 (3648).

[Joey Dallow · Rating 5 out of 5]

read like 80 pages of this for class. beautifully written and right up my alley

[Kressel Housman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ronald K. Siegel is not as famous as Oliver Sacks, but they’re very similar. Both are research psychologists who write popular books on the quirks of human behavior and perception. But while Dr. Sacks has written on a wide variety of topics, including his most recent Hallucinations, Dr. Siegel’s main specialty is hallucinations. His two later books are Fire in the Brain, which is all about hallucinations, drug-induced and from other causes, and Whispers, which is about paranoia, again, drug-induced and from other causes. Intoxication is his first book, and as you can guess by the title, it is all about drugs.

Dr. Siegel’s thesis is that the drive for drugs is as strong as the drives for food, drink, and procreation. He calls it the “fourth drive,” and sets out to prove that it is as prevalent among animals as it is amongst humans. Part I of the book is devoted entirely to drug use in the animal kingdom, and I must say, I found it a chore to get through. Chapter after chapter described animal behavior under the influence, whether in the wild or in some controlled lab experiment. Some of it was interesting and occasionally even funny. My favorite story was about a mouse who ate through a stash of confiscated marijuana in a police station, destroying the evidence and winning himself a fan club in the process. But most of Part I bored me, so much so that I did something I rarely do: I skipped large chunks of it. The only reason I didn’t give up on the book entirely is that I’d read Dr. Siegel’s later books and was expecting things to pick up in Part II when he started on humans. As it turns out, I was right.

The human section included a chapter called “Fire in the Brain,” which he reused as the title of his second book. Even though I preferred that book, he unpacked the metaphor more clearly in this one. This chapter included some gruesome crime stories, as Dr. Siegel works with law enforcement. The human section also included a chapter on drugs throughout American history with a special focus on our presidents’ habits. And that led right to the chapter called “The War on Drugs.” The book was published in 1989, so Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign was really recent. But the “war” failed, explained Dr. Siegel, because it tried to control supply and only weakly addressed demand. Until we recognize “the fourth drive” as a drive and not a vice, he argues, we can never conquer the problem.

Dr. Siegel is not an advocate of legalization. He presents the arguments for and against and comes out against. What he advocates instead is the development of better, safer drugs. I can’t say I agree with him, but nobody can ignore him either. If nothing else, his opinion carries the weight of expertise.

If you’re interested in drugs, you’ll probably be interested in this book. If you like science, you may like Part I more than I did. But Part II is excellent, as are Dr. Siegel’s later books. I guess he’s one author who improved with time and experience.

[Darnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book mostly not harmed by its age. Though it didn't have as much broad theory about intoxication as I'd hoped, and the policy section does feel a little dated, it had a lot of information about how intoxicants work in natural environments across the world, plus "What happens if you give fish LSD?" type experiments.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Siegel is a behavioral scientist who has spent decades studying the effects of intoxicating plants on animals in the wild, both by observing animals' natural use of intoxicants in the wild and by creating artificial opportunities for intoxication both in the wild and in the laboratory. Much of the book is devoted to studying the effects, how use is controlled, when it occurs, what happens when animals become addicts, etc. There were points when his tactics angered me, because he destroyed the lives of some animals in his studies. But the point of the book was to probe the question of how we, as a society, should address the use of drugs. He goes into great detail about why the war on drugs is ineffective, why legalization is not the best answer to the problem, and in the end proposes a radical cultural shift to address the problem. (I won't give everything away here). His approach is very logical and convincing.

If you are looking to answer the question of WHY there is a universal drive toward intoxication among the animal kingdom, you will not find the answer here. Siegel mentions in passing that it's interesting that we've developed brain receptors for intoxicating chemicals. I think he calls it a big biological investment. That only restates the question though. It's not the answer he's after. It was what I was after, but oh well. It is an interesting read anyway.

[Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less of a scientific survey of psychoactive drugs and more of an esoteric, albeit mystical exploration of humankind's relationship with psychoactive substances. The first half of the book is an overview of the most popular categories of drugs—ie. stimulants, opioids, cannabis, alcohol, etc.—and the second half is a discussion of why it is the natural, instinctual "fourth drive" of human beings to pursue intoxication. The first half of the book includes some interesting summaries of scientific experiments the author has done in his career, mostly on animals, that suggest that the pursuit of intoxication is universal among organisms. The second half of the book details our ever-changing attitude towards drugs, including criticism of the War on Drugs. Do note that this book is somewhat dated (it was published in the 80s) but much of the philosophy is still applicable today. (I would just be extra critical of trusting the science, as that can be dated).

A very interesting read, and a must-read for those interested in sociopolitical arena of drugs and drug legalization. However, I'm not 100% convinced by the author that drugs are a so-called "fourth drive," as his arguments for such are more philosophical than scientific. Still, would recommend this book for its enticing premise and clear, readable language.

[Cyndie Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, the book is likely slightly out of date by this point, but I still found it very interesting. The book asks, to what degree do animals and have humans of the past used some of our most notorious intoxicating substances, and what (if anything) does that mean for how they should or should not be used? In some ways it may be more timely as increased scrutiny of the discriminatory effects of "the war on crime" and increased police militarization leaves us asking questions about what (if anything) needs to be done about destructive levels of intoxication. While I wouldn't necessarily agree with the author that there is a "fourth drive" to use intoxicating substances, certainly it seems that in the same ways we can use medications for our health - living things are able to take advantage of the accidents of their own biochemical pathways to enact psychotropic changes as well, sometimes to their benefit.

[Kozmo Kliegl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Proof to me that when we take the organic wrapping of drugs and concentrate them just leads to trouble

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to like it and I want to believe, but he’s way too focused on Christianity and the “literal garden of Eden” and then he tried to tell me that dinosaurs died out because they ate too much acid. “Evolution’s slow crawl out of Eden” what is this man on about! I want to enjoy and believe all the stories about animals getting high for fun, but now I think he’s a crackpot.

He even admits we can’t tell for sure if animals are hallucinating then proceeds to tell me what kind of bugs monkeys think they are catching out of the air when they trip!

The book is interesting to read, but is written so familiarly and for lay people that between that and the Bible references, it just doesn’t come across as science and more just some old guy reminiscing about giving animals drugs and watching what happens. There are nuggets of information but I had to take everything with a grain of salt and I would fact check anything before sharing it with others as anything more than an amusing anecdote.

I like the end when he starts applying it to people. I like his idea of making drugs that are safe to get the feelings of altered states we want. I like the applications to history and literature. This book made me want to go eat random plants and see what happens. Or to make my own chem lab or grow a coca plant in my closet. A super interesting read for sure. Rated 4 for entertainment value but we don’t see eye to eye by any means.

[vs · Rating 3 out of 5]

In “Intoxication”, Siegel recounts his experiments and observations with various psychoactive drugs, and in particular the behaviour of humans and animals that come in contact with them. Some of the observations are Siegel’s own field work, some appear to be not much more than stories he’s read. So reader beware: this is the kind of non-fiction book where hypothesis and legend quickly become fact. More often than not, when googling the historical tales told by Siegel, one finds that what he simply reports is either grossly oversimplified or just one of many possible explanations. Such was the prerogative of the pop science writer before the age of internet. (As as a side note, I wonder if Joe Rogan has read this. Monkeys on DMT, he’d go nuts.) It’s the experiments Spiegel witnessed first hand that I find easier to trust, even if many of them would not pass ethical approval today (no mention of the elephant that his colleague supposedly killed with LSD).
Siegel also gives a kind of history of drugs in the US and muses about policy. These are the weakest and least compelling parts of the book as Siegel doesn’t really have anything interesting to say about either topic.

[Hattas Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vždy ma fascinovala štátna vojna proti drogám. Vojna, ktorá je vedená proti nám ľuďom. Ronald Siegel, drogový expert, ktorý veril, že ľudia prirodzene vyhľadávajú rôzne melanže chemikálií, aby si menili myseľ. Táto túžba po intoxikácií je taká prirodzená ako hlad, smäd alebo sex. Takmer každý druh zvierat sa zapojil do prirodzeného prenasledovania omamných látok a my nie sme výnimka.

Siegel aj napriek tomu nie je zástanca legalizácie tvrdých drog, ale o sprístupnení menej škodlivých alternatív. Čím skôr politici pochopia, že boj proti drogám sa nedá vyhrať a prestanú mrhať zdrojmi, tým skôr sa objavia nové a bezpečnejšie náhrady, ktoré vytvoria molekulárny mágovia.

"Povedať len nie, znamená poprieť všetko, čím sme, a všetko, čím by sme mohli byť."

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

"To say No is to deny all that we are and all that we could be."

The last chapter was what I kind of hoped this book would have more of. Thinking about our own (ab)use and the way we as a society should live with it. Sadly most of the book was quite anecdotal. That can also be very interesting and entertaining, but I tend to forget most of it over time, making it a lot less useful.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siegel's roundup of scientific evidence demonstrates that the drive to alter one's consciousness is not a dysfunction, but rather a healthy impulse shared, so it would seem, by every creature with a nervous system. A pithy rejoinder to America's puritanical attitudes towards drugs and their use.

[Ashley Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories on animals who use drugs

[Dave Hazzan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've ever wanted to know what happens when you give baboons crack, this your book.

[Maleah Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

He postulated that becoming intoxicated is a 4th drive along with hunger thirst and sex. He provides evidence that animals seek out intoxication.

[Kai Palchikoff]

SOCIAL SCIENCE / DRUGS'Reading Intoxication one becomes conscious of the many different aspects of the drug problem, of the usefulness and dangers of psychoactive substances, and of their role and importance in medicine, in religious rituals, and in daily life. . . . Impressive . . . fascinating . . . 'ALBERT HOFMANN, PH.D., author of LSD: My Problem Child and coauthor of Plants of the Gods 'Compelling . . . fact-packed. . . . The author carefully surrounds any potential pro-drug interpretation with ample (and graphic) examples of the dangers of drug abuse. . . . thought-provoking.'BOOKLIST History shows that people have always used intoxicants. In every age, in every part of the world, people have pursued intoxication with plants, alcohol, and other mind-altering substances. In fact, this behavior has so much force and persistence that it functions much like our drives for food, sleep, and sex. This 'fourth drive,' says psycho-pharmacologist Ronald K. Siegel, is a natural part of our biology, creating an irrepressible demand for intoxicating substances. In this book Siegel draws upon his twenty years of groundbreaking research to provide countless examples of the intoxication urge in humans, animals, and even insects. The detailed observations of his so-called psychonauts--study participants trained to explicitly describe their drug experiences--as well as numerous studies with animals have helped him to identify the behavior patterns induced by different intoxicants. Presenting his conclusions on the biological as well as cultural reasons for the pursuit of intoxication and showing that personality and guidance often define the outcome of a drug experience, Siegel offers a broad understanding of the intoxication phenomenon as well as recommendations for curbing the negative aspects of drug use in Western culture by designing safe intoxicants. RONALD K. SIEGEL, PH.D., is a psychopharmacologist on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA School of Medicine and is a leading authority on the social and psychological effects of drug use. The author of Fire in the Brain and Whispers: The Voices of Paranoia, his research has also appeared in Psychology Today, Scientific American, and Omni as well as the Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Journal of Psychiatry. He lives in Los Angeles.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye-opening review of studies on the effects and drive for intoxication across animals, how some groups are able to maintain long-term use at a healthy level, and a historical overview of drug use in America

I was especially surprised by the extensive studies that have already been done (and can't be done anymore because of ethical concerns) on animals and the historical popularity of opium and cocaine in the US

[Jason Landau · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is the authors assertion that man's desire to attain a different state of consciousness is just as powerful a drive as the drive for hunger, thirst, and sex. Goes into accounts of various drugs and how it affects us all. That is goes beyond demographics and time, even beyond species as other animals also search for the "high". Interesting scientific discussion

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so impressed by this book I wrote the author and thanked him. He responded with some kind words. I deleted his response to avoiding re-reading it like a child with sticky hands and candy all over his face.

[Haven · Rating 4 out of 5]

speaks for itself, check it out

[Evgenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This contains a lot of interesting information about mind altering plants that is fascinating to read, especially animal behavior and "drug use".

[Rus · Rating 5 out of 5]

plants want to kill you
eat animals