Intoxication Culture

An alternative (and also anarchist) viewpoint: these substances are also used by specific non-American indigenous cultures for spiritual purposes. Those of us who maintain direct links to our ancestry access substances for these purposes (gin for certain ATR practitioners for example) and our relationship with them changes. Armed with these traditions, we can re-appropriate our tools for spiritual enlightenment and insert them back into their original contexts.

For this reason I don’t see intoxication as a way to be controlled, instead it is a vehicle for a journey. These tools are used for emotional and psychological catharsis. They are meant to be my helpers, not a distraction from my experience.

I wanted to present this view point since not all anarchy is the same & many folks don’t insist on being drug free as part of their politics. I don’t disagree with the facts this author has laid out - they are critical to keep in mind within my practice. However, I think it’s equally valid praxis to put these things in their place in the same way my forebears did. Im looking forward to hearing what other folks think who are in different spaces & points in their lives, so please share!