History of Alcohol

It is believed that alcoholic beverages originated in Prehistory, specifically during the Neolithic period when agriculture appeared and pottery was invented.

Did you know that...

- Alcoholic beverages emerged by chance during the Neolithic period in prehistory? (1,2)

- The regulation of wine trade became more consistent starting in the Middle Ages? (3,4)

- Proletarian Russian women in the early 20th century would put distilled liquor on pacifiers to soothe their children? (5)

- In 18th century England, gin was known as the drink of choice for women? (6)

- Despite the long-standing criticism of alcohol abuse throughout human history, the concept of alcoholism only emerged in the late 18th and early 19th centuries? (7)

When it all began...

Alcoholic beverages are believed to have originated in Prehistory, specifically during the Neolithic period, when agriculture and pottery emerged. Through a process of natural fermentation that occurred about 10,000 years ago, humans began to consume alcohol and ascribe different meanings to its use. The Celts, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Babylonians recorded in some form the consumption and production of alcoholic beverages. (1,2)

Noah's Drunkenness

In na episode from the Bible´s Old Testament (Genesis 9:21), Noah, after the flood, planted a vineyard and made wine. He consumed the beverage to the point of becoming drunk. The Bible states that Noah shouted, took off his clothes, and passed out. Moments later, his son Ham found him "uncovered in his nakedness." This is the first known account of drunkenness. The famous Renaissance painter Michelangelo (1475-1564) was inspired by this episode to create a beautiful fresco, titled after it, on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Thus, it is evident that not only the use of alcohol but also drunkenness has been present among humanity since its beginnings.

Alcohol Throughout History

Greece and Rome

The soil and climate in Greece and Rome were especially rich for grape cultivation and wine production. The Greeks and Romans also knew the fermentation of honey and barley, but wine was the most widespread beverage in both empires, holding social, religious, and medicinal importance. (1,8)

In Ancient Greece, the playwright Euripides (484 BC - 406 BC) mentions in the Bacchae two deities of great significance to humans: Demeter, the goddess of agriculture who provides solid food for nourishment, and Dionysus, the God of wine and festivity (Bacchus for the Romans). Despite wine playing an active role in Greco-Roman social and religious celebrations, alcohol abuse and drunkenness were already severely censured by both peoples. (1)

Ancient Egypt

The Egyptians documented the stages of beer and wine production, manufacturing, and trade in papyrus. They also believed that fermented beverages eliminated germs and parasites and should be used as medicine, especially in the fight against parasites from the waters of the Nile. (1,2)

Middle Ages

The commercialization of wine and beer grew during this period, as did its regulation. Alcohol intoxication (drunkenness) ceased to be merely condemned by the church and began to be considered a sin by this institution. (4)

Modern Age

During the Renaissance, oversight of cabarets and taverns began, with operating hours established for these places. Cabarets and taverns were seen as venues where people could express themselves freely, and the use of alcohol was part of political debates that would later trigger the French Revolution. (4)

Contemporary Age

The late 18th century and the onset of the Industrial Revolution were accompanied by demographic and behavioral changes in Europe. It was during this period that excessive drinking began to be viewed by some as a disease or disorder (7). In the early to mid-19th century, some scholars began to discuss the differences between distilled and fermented beverages, especially wine. Consequently, finding no harmful germs in wine, French scientist Louis Pasteur declared in 1865 that "this is the most hygienic of beverages." (9)

During the 20th century, countries like France established the legal drinking age at 18, and in January 1920, the United States enacted Prohibition, which lasted almost 12 years. Prohibition banned the manufacture, sale, barter, transport, importation, exportation, distribution, possession, and consumption of alcoholic beverages and was considered by many a disaster for public health and the American economy, as it created an illegal market for alcohol and consequently increased violence and crime in the country. (11)

It was in 1952, with the first edition of the DSM-I (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), that alcoholism began to be treated as a disease. (7, 10)

In 1967, the concept of alcoholism as a disease was incorporated by the World Health Organization into the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-8), following the 8th World Health Conference. In the ICD-8, problems related to alcohol use were placed within a broader category of personality disorders and neuroses. These issues were divided into three categories: dependence, episodes of excessive drinking (abuse), and habitual excessive drinking. Alcohol dependence was characterized by compulsive use of alcoholic beverages and the manifestation of withdrawal symptoms after cessation of alcohol use. (14)

In modern times, starting in January 2022, the ICD-11 came into effect, bringing important updates to the general guidelines of the document, including specific updates on alcohol use disorders (15), which are:

- Greater specification of different patterns of harmful alcohol consumption, which can be continuous, episodic, and recurrent;

- A new diagnostic subcategory for single episodes of harmful consumption;

- The introduction of harmful alcohol consumption as a life risk factor;

In addition to other more technical nuances regarding the categorization of certain disorders, such as neurocognitive disorders related to alcohol use (15).

References:

1.Viala-Artigues, J. & Mechetti,C. (2003). Histoire de l´alcool archéologie partie 1.
2. McGovern, Patrick E. The Origins and Ancient History of Wine. (http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/exhibits/online_exhibits/wine/wineintro.html).
3. Liappas,J.A., Lascaratos, J., Fafouti, S., Christodoulou, G.N., (2003). Alexander the Great´s relationship with alcohol. Addiction. 98. 561-567.
4. Viala-Artigues, J. & Mechetti,C. (2003). Histoire de l´alcool archéologie partie 2.
5. Phillips, L. (1999). In defense of their families: Working-Class Women, Alcohol, and Politics in Revolutionary Russia. Journal of Women´s History. Vol. 11. 97-120.
6. Warner,J. & Ivis, F. (2000). Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto. Eighteen-Century Life. 24. 85-105
7. Jerome, H.J. (1993). The concept of dependence: Historical Reflections. Alcohol Health and Research World. 17. 188-190.
8. Purcell, N. (2003). Diet, Community, And History At Rome. American Journal of Philology. 124. 329-358
(http://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/american_journal_of_philology/)
9. Viala-Artigues, J. & Mechetti,C. (2003). Histoire de l´alcool les temps modernes partie 1
10. Viala-Artigues, J. & Mechetti,C. (2003). Histoire de l´alcool les temps modernes partie 2
11. History of Alcohol. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. US Department of Treasure
12.Lexicon of alcohol and drug terms – Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS), 1994.
13.The natural history of alcoholism - George E. Vaillant. Harvard University Press, 1983.
14. Diagnostic Criteria for Alcohol Abuse and Dependence – National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) - Alcohol Alert, No 30, 1995 (http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa30.htm)

15. Saunders JB, Degenhardt L, Reed GM, Poznyak V. Alcohol Use Disorders in ICD‐11: Past, Present, and Future. Alcohol Clin Exp Res [Internet]. 2019 Aug 23 [cited 2020 Jun 23];43(8):1617–31. Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.14128