ABSTRACT
Throughout civilisation and up to the present day human ingenuity has found
various ways of coping with the stresses of daily life. Sometime these methods
include a drug-induced escape into an illusory world to eschew temporary trou-
bles. Fermented beverages were used in ancient Egypt and in China. Alcohol can
bring a transient euphoric uplift from pressing matters of the day. These strategies
are perhaps truer today than they were in historic Dionysian cultures, exceptions
being those countries where alcohol is taboo for religious reasons. Stress-induced
illness is not just a phenomenon of contemporary urban civilization, as heavy
consumption of alcohol is also found in rural communities.
