THE HISTORY OF ALCOHOL

Though it is not known exactly when man first discovered how to ferment beverages into alcohol, the history of alcohol is about as long as the history of man. The first alcohol was probably unwittingly ingested by man in the form of fermented fruit. Studies show that chimpanzees will eat fruit that has become fermented, obviously enjoying alcohol euphoria. Chances are, so it was with man and his first accidental taste of alcohol. The first alcohol was then possibly purposely created from honey or berries which fermented, to the delight of the makers and consumers.

An interesting common theme throughout the history of alcohol is that those cultures that regarded alcohol as important for spiritual and social reasons also forwarded the ideals of moderation and temperance. Today, while alcohol abuse and alcoholism is an escalating problem across the world, moderation is rarely promoted. It is a precept that is promoted at Narconon.

PREHISTORIC HISTORY OF ALCOHOL

Beer jugs found from the Neolithic period confirm that people in the stone age were drinking fermented drinks. Even Noah reportedly planted a vineyard on Mt. Ararat in what is now Turkey. It is likely that winemaking started very early in the middle east, due to the wild grapes of that region. Again, it is quite likely that accidental fermentation of a grape drink turned to delight and wine making was borne.

EGYPTIAN HISTORY OF ALCOHOL

Beer and wine were very important to the Egyptians and in fact they worshipped the god of wine, Orisis, on a national level. Orisis was also credited with creating beer and home brewing was a part of Egyptian life.

While beer was made at home and most citizens could imbibe, for the most part, wine was produced for royalty and the elite. The vineyards and the wineries were owned by nobility or the well to do. During certain festivals and public feasts the lower classes were treated to wine, but otherwise had to be satisfied with their home brewed beer.

Drawings from the time period depict wine making and drinking as a very important and well organized activity for Egyptians. The vineyards were surrounded by walls, well irrigated with plenty of laborers tending to the grapes growing on trellises attached to large columns. The grapes were white, pink green, red and blue. There are also depictions of step by step wine making process.

Egyptian artists depict men walking with jugs on tops of their heads and people in rooms with large wine jugs, just as large as the furniture. So important was wine, that it was placed in the tombs to help the dead in the hereafter.

While it is surmised that there were at least 24 different kinds of wine and 17 kinds of beer, the purpose of alcohol was medicinal, ritualistic and for pleasure. Inebriation does not appear to very much part of the picture. Historical accounts indicate that moderation was stressed in Egypt – both spiritually and culturally.

CHINA AND ALCOHOL

Another civilization that gave social and religious importance to alcohol, while preaching moderation, was China where. Since prehistoric times, alcohol has been part of that culture. In ancient times the use of alcohol in China was tied to spiritual events. Drinking occurred while offering sacrifice, before official executions, at birth and death ceremonies and ceremonies. While it was very much a part of religious events, heaven also dictated very strict policy that moderation was to be practiced. According to history, not everyone listened to the heavenly mandate and the alcohol was sometimes misused. Several attempts were made to prohibit the making of wine, only to be repealed.

GREEK PHILOSOPHY OF TEMPERANCE AND ALCOHOL

Greece philosophy and social custom stressed temperance and at the same time made alcohol an important part of their culture.

The first popular alcoholic drink was mead, a fermented drink made from honey and water. Wine became and remained the popular alcoholic beverage and was served in many ways – mixed with water, chilled and warmed. For 1000 years alcohol was used for medicinal purposes, in religious ceremonies, at meals and for social purposes. The Greeks not only stressed moderation, but practiced it as a people. Temperance was praised by philosophers and There were also rules about moderate drinking, evidenced by the mixing of wine with water. Hippocrates perhaps was one of the first medical practitioners to formally identify the therapeutic and medical qualities of wine. There are always exceptions to any rule including the Greek rule about moderation.

There were two groups amongst the Greeks who did not believe in the practice of temperance. The cult of Dionysus believed that they became closer to their deity in an intoxicated state and the Macedonians equated drunkenness with masculinity. Alexander the Great, a Macedonian king, whose mother was a member of the Dionysian cult was routinely inebriated, according to history.

Reports of drunkenness at symposia and subsequent warnings are also part of recorded history.

JEWISH HISTORY AND ALCOHOL

The history of the Hebrews and alcohol is an interesting one. According to history, Hebrews were introduced to wine when in captivity by Egypt around 1200 B.C. and had made it a part of their life. After being led to Palestine by Moses, they continued the tradition they had learned from their captors and made wine from the vineyards they found in their new home.

The Hebrews were again conquered in in 586 B. C. and taken to Babylon. They were released by Persians who captured the city in 539 B.C. After their release from exile, Judaism was developed. Wine became an important element in the culture and was even described as a blessing from God. Today, wine continues to be a part of the Jewish culture.

ROMAN HISTORY OF ALCOHOL

The Romans also preached and practiced temperance and moderation in drinking from the beginning of the empire until close to the first century. Over drinking became fashionable. There were social activities such as drinking contests and events where overdrinking was encouraged. Citizens learned to drink on an empty stomach and induce vomiting when they wanted to drink more.

Much like modern times, as the civilization moved closer to financial, moral and social decay, overdrinking increased to a decadent point. Perhaps when the last light burned out on the Roman empire, the citizens were too drunk to notice.

TODAY

According to the World Health Organization, about 140 million people throughout the world suffer from disorders related to alcohol and the numbers are increasing.

The Narconon Program provides tools to help combat alcohol abuse.