The Drunken Monkey: Why We Drink and Abuse Alcohol

by Robert Dudley

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520275690
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	05/01/2014
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Robert Dudley is Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and Research Associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. His research on the evolutionary origins of alcohol consumption has appeared in numerous journals.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Prologue
Acknowledgments

1. Introduction
2. The Fruits of Fermentation
3. On the Inebriation of Elephants
4. Aping About in the Forest
5. A First-Rate Molecule
6. Alcoholics Aren’t Anonymous
7. Winos in the Mist

Postscript
Sources and Recommended Reading
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Clear and engaging."

The Quarterly Review of Biology

"The well-organized, highly informative, and lucidly detailed work is an example of excellent scientific writing."

CHOICE

"A great example of the use of evolutionary theory and principles to illuminate causality in human behavior. . . . The first half of the book elaborating the ecology of flowering plants and frugivores is worth the price of admission alone, and this book will be a great addition to undergraduate or graduate evolutionary ecology course reading lists."

American Journal of Human Biology

"Persuasive and engaging."

Library Journal

"Moving forward with his research into the subject, Dudley's book is but a mere preview to his ongoing work in the field, which will help better develop his working hypothesis. Hoping to bring in an evolutionary perspective, and the behavior seen in our close relatives, Dudley continues to search for closer empirical evidence that may help in future addiction treatment for clinicians of the debilitating disease."

Science Times

"Fascinating."

The Australian

"Well constructed and clearly written."

Nature

"Well constructed and clearly written."

Nature Lib

"Clear and engaging."

The Quarterly Review of Biology - Richard Wrangham

"Fascinating."

The Australian - Max Allen