The Drunken Monkey: Why We Drink and Abuse Alcohol (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780520275690)

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.

Author: Robert Dudley
ISBN-10: 0520275691
ISBN-13: 9780520275690
Publisher: University of California Press
Language: English
Published: 05/01/2014
Pages: 184
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.36h x 6.22w x 0.68d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 04/15/2014 pg. 112
Choice 11/01/2014 pg. 472