HALL - CARPENTER, CO.
By Edwin T. Scallon, Copyright © 1990, 1995, 2008, 2020 All Rights Reserved
ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION AND BAC CALCULATION PROGRAMS
HISTORY OF ALCOHOL
Alcohol has a long history. It has been used in religious ceremonies, as a medicine and consumed socially for thousands of years. Laws and codes of conduct governing its use and misuse have been a part of human culture throughout history. Some people can use alcohol occasionally and responsibly, which for others the effects of alcohol can be devastating. Herein lies the complexity of alcohol use.
Alcohol is a psychoactive substance, which means that it has the ability to change consciousness and to alter perceptions and behavior. The alcohol found in beverages is know as ethanol or ethyl alcohol. This is the only type of alcohol that is safe to consume, and then only in small quantities. Where there is much controversy over the many problems associated with alcohol the fact is that a large segment of the population chooses to consume alcoholic beverages.
The purposeful production of alcoholic beverages is common in may cultures and often reflects their cultural and religious peculiarities as much as their geographical and sociological conditions.
The discovery of beer jugs in the late Stone Age has established the fact that purposely fermented beverages existed at least as early as c. 10,000 BC. It has been suggested that beer may have preceded bread as a staple.