The Drunken Monkey: Why We Drink and Abuse Alcohol

by Robert Dudley

Alcoholism, as opposed to the safe consumption of alcohol, remains a major public health issue. In this accessible book, Robert Dudley presents an intriguing evolutionary interpretation to explain the persistence of alcohol-related problems. Providing a deep-time, interdisciplinary perspective on today’s patterns of alcohol consumption and abuse, Dudley traces the link between the fruit-eating behavior of arboreal primates and the evolution of the sensory skills required to identify ripe and fermented fruits that contain sugar and low levels of alcohol. In addition to introducing this new theory of the relationship of humans to alcohol, the book discusses the supporting research, implications of the hypothesis, and the medical and social impacts of alcoholism.

The Drunken Monkey is designed for interested readers, scholars, and students in comparative and evolutionary biology, biological anthropology, medicine, and public health.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

184 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Khoi Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Multiple attempts to Google search "why we drink?" brought me to this unique work. Other search results just talked about the benefits of drinking or social reasons for alcoholism. Dr. Dudley did a great job of discussing a priori reasons for drinking habits, both from nature and nurture.

Bonus: It's hilarious when the author keeps describing how funny a research project in drinking cultures/drinking animals can be.

[Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is little heft and much conjecture in this book. It is too jargon-y in the areas of Dudley's specialization (e.g. botany), and far too little in those he is not (e.g. neuroscience). And as is often the case with evolutionary biologists, this book is heavy on the story telling, particularly as it extrapolates the evolution of human alcohol drinking. Dudley also (irresponsibly, in my opinion) is far too dismissive of the importance of rodent research (and laboratory studies of primates) on the biology and treatment of alcohol abuse. It is frustrating to read the story telling and hand waving hypotheses of a field biologist about a very serious and heterogeneous public health issue. There is room for many ideas and research approaches, in fact, attacking this disease at all possible angles will yield the best results in our understanding of alcoholism. I am not skeptical of how significantly the drunken monkey hypothesis advances the field of addiction research.

[Richard · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author included in the title "Why we drink and abuse alcohol" - which suggested a theory, but offered nothing but a hypothesis. The book was dense and laden with repetitive facts and ideas. The author seemed to use the book as a call to arms for a different approach to studying alcoholism. So many ifs and maybes and speculation but no substance. It is a book that probably shouldn't have been a book. Some interesting bits on fruit flies...

[Carlos Azevedo · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[Alyssa Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

dudley proposes an intriguing theory for alcoholism, taking an functionalist stance to suggest that humans evolved to prefer alcohol because it once was a biomarker for ripe fruits untainted with bacteria. the evidence for his theory is presented in an acceptable (albeit distilled) manner, and dudley's personal ties to alcoholism revealed throughout the book elevate the stakes of the issue. however, i did walk a way feeling a bit solution-less, so i wish there was more discussion on what we should do with this framework as we navigate a perpetually booze-soaked world.

[The Inquisitive Biologist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Level-headed and sober, The Drunken Monkey puts forth a fascinating evolutionary explanation for our addiction to alcohol. See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2019...

[Turi Becker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly readable, despite all the big sciencey words.

[Danny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting way to view the issues of alcohol from an evolutionary perspective. I thought this was a cool book but it did not really have much of an impact on me.