ABSTRACT
This book approaches an age-old phenomenon-drunkenness-from a fresh and interdisciplinary perspective. “Expressions of drunkenness” have, indeed, been embedded in societies and cultures around the world for centuries. Such expressions also support the assertion that there is a distinction between intoxication and drunkenness. For example, someone who is drinking might be described as “blotto” or “plastered” because of his or her drunken behavior (versus biological intoxication), and people who are intoxicated yet do not exhibit overtly drunken behavior might be described as having “a hollow leg” or being able to “hold their liquor.” Moreover, when examined comprehensively from biological, cultural, and social perspectives, it becomes clear that intoxication typically refers to a physiological state, whereas drunkenness points to actions and social effects often associated with intoxication.
