Altering American Consciousness: The History of Alcohol and Drug Use in the United States, 1800-2000 (Paperback)

~ Sarah W. Tracy (Author, Editor), Caroline Jean Acker (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From The New England Journal of Medicine

This book is a salutary complement to the flood of alarmist diatribes about the need for a revitalized "war on drugs" to save the nation from decay and to the well-meaning but tired pleas for greater personal freedom and expression. There are no shrill polemics here and no pretentious proposals for tougher laws or less stringent policies. What the reader will find are interesting snapshots of an erratic historical trajectory that shows how the social context matters more than biochemistry or pharmacology when it comes to shaping how people feel, not only about drugs and those who use them, but even about what it is that we call "drugs" and why. It is evident that alcohol and drugs have a long and colorful history in the United States, as well as around the world, with patterns of use, attitudes, and even scientific interpretations and pronouncements that have varied widely over time. In this book, 14 authors write about different aspects of such changes during the past 200 years. They demonstrate novel approaches, fresh interpretations, and realistic implications, with chapter subjects as diverse as professionalism among physicians, language and "problem-definition," the status of Native Americans, sex differences, religion, LSD, and successive fads in the cessation of smoking. Each essay is enjoyable as well as informative, clear, well organized, and self-contained, with end notes and an ample bibliography. The introduction shows how the essays relate to one another and to the theme of the title. Dwight B. Heath, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2004 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. The New England Journal of Medicine is a registered trademark of the MMS. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Despite its American basis I would strongly recommend this book, particularly in relation to the concepts of societies attitudes to readers in the United Kingdom." -- Alcohol and Alcoholism, November/December, 2006

Goes a long way toward mapping out the new landscape of drug and alcohol history. . . . A must read. -- Journal of American History, June 2005

Overwhelmingly, what remains when the last page is turned is the sense of the individuals who lie within. Even when they were alive and had unnoticed exsistences, they had dramas filled with pathos. This volume has reclaimed people, who have lost lives, from the past. --Karen Mills, Criminal Justice Review

This delightful volume represents a careful admixture of skillfully edited, high-quality, and richly documented contributions. -- Journal of the History of Medicine, January 2006

This edited volume started life as a set of conference papers, delivered in 1997, on the subject of the history of drug use in American society. out of this has grown a book that aims to sweep across the geography and the history of America to offer an informed view of changing attitudes and responses to drug use. -- Criminal Justice Review, December 2007

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Product Details

• Paperback: 414 pages
• Publisher: Univ. of Massachusetts Press; 1 edition (May 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558494251
• ISBN-13: 978-1558494251
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #876,270 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)