Some animals like to get drunk, too. ?

I think humans may have an affinity for drugs based on the fact that our brains produce a wide-variety of "altered" states. These states correspond to brainwave activity. Meditation, for example, accesses the alpha wave state and sometimes the deeper "trance" states. Why we are capable of entering altered states at all when we mainly only focus on two - waking consciousness and sleep - is a mystery to me.

Throughout history, various cultures have employed methods of entering altered states of consciousness - drumming, chanting, fasting, dancing - all can cause a person to entered an altered state of consciousness. Various psychotropic plants were also employed.

I have wondered if we have a biological need to access these altered states, something that was been repressed by Western culture. If so, that could explain a person's attraction to drugs.

From the prologue of one of my Science Fiction novels, MT Promise:

.....

I tell you it’s as ancient as life in the Universe. A creature, species and planet of origin are not important, feeds on something. After ingesting whatever it is, the critter goes reeling off into one form or another of an altered mental state. If the experience proves stimulating, pleasant, exciting, or any combination of those conditions—and isn’t fatal—the little beasty won’t hesitate to chomp on the stuff again, even if, in some cases, the taste or odor, maybe even both, are nasty enough to gag a maggot.

If the stuff is recognizable; you know, like it has a distinctive shape of leaf, color of flower, or odor, the critter may go as far as to seek it out as a desirable snack. It could be anything; a fermented grain that yields up a trip of light-headed abandon. Perhaps it’s an herb that brings a concentrated dose of calm not attainable under ordinary circumstances. Maybe it’s a speckled fungus that provides visions; visions of things impossible, unlikely, humorous or frightening. It doesn’t matter.

For us, humans that is, such things have been common throughout the long run of our presence in the grand scheme. These things have been employed in religious rites, for medicinal purposes, reduction of pain, mind enhancing and mind dulling. Or maybe it’s just an escape from reality, responsibility and guilt.

Whatever it is, there is reward that accompanies it, and reward for anything is a strong call to repeat. If orgasm were missing from the act, we'd go extinct pretty damned fast

It falls under the "action/reward" brain stimulous from what i understand. That brain gratification phenom that we get from good wine, fine liquor, increfible chocolate, hot sex, or drugs. It feels good & our brain goes "thats nice, want more, crave more" & so the cycle begins.

Until the negative impacts of behavior outweigh the gratification/crave factor, humans will indulge.

Lets be honest, we're monkeys in shoes with a superiority complex...its only the "ew factor" that keeps us from flinging our feces at other people we detest...hence the verbal/written "shyte talk" for which some folks are famous.

well duh ?

From what I've read we have receptors in our brains. Different ones for different substances. I already know from having had morphine for a kidney stone I like that shit!! but during my drug experimenting days right out of HS cocaine was like pointless, it did nothing for me. Never tried heroin and it was probably a good thing, the kidney stone episode happened many years after I was required to be at a job an be responsible for my rent, car feeding and clothing me. No time to fuck off with drugs or getting wasted.
MJ was a blast but I grew out it, I'd rather be high just on my own happy nature.
But then there is sugar!!!!! I do not eat it at all now but I had my moments 30 years ago that once I started eating donuts or cookies I could not stop!!! Eat enuff and you do feel high.
The pleasure receptors were on over drive.

Curiousity and freebies in high school and college. Want a hit? Want a toke? Want a taste? Want a line? Been hearing that forever - can start with peer pressure and experimentation. Been there done that.

There is plenty of evidence of ancient humans engaging in drug use.
Personally, since curiosity is normal human behavior, it seems reasonable that
many humans would engage in casual experimentation with drugs.
Some humans will also abuse them, and become addicted.
It's just how we are. We'll do drugs, drink too much, work too hard, gamble
too much, etc, etc, ad infinitum.

It is just natural for anyone or anything to do what makes them feel better. This is just normal behavior for everyone. Some things that we are addicted to are just in our foods! We use them because they bring us pleasure. The secret is to learn what is harmful to you that brings you pleasure & then be careful with that. The most harmful thing that we have in our excepted diets is Dairy Products! The casein protein breaks down into casemorphin! That is why you say that you love your cheese! This is the most harmful thing in the Western Diet & in the end is why we suffer all of the diseases that we do. Dairy is harmful to your health.

It is natural behavior for all animals. Here is one example...

We have these receptors for pleasure from drugs in our brains so it is inevitable that we need to experience them it was made to be taken

I think the humans had affinity for drugs of some sort or another from their pre-human days on. Feeling good for no reason had always attracted certain living creatures and still does.

Exogenous drugs wouldn't work if we didn't have receptor sites for them. Those receptor sites can also be for endogenous, or self-produced, chemicals. If we produce these chemicals internally they must, or at least must have, serve an evolutionary purpose.

watch planet earth, and see monkeys getting high chewing centipedes, frothing at the mouth, etc

Humans have an innate curiosity and sample things to see what happens. Since the beginning of the speciies, humans have always sought things that they an smoke, snort, eat, chew, or drink which might produce an altered state.

I will never do recreational drugs again. I only smoked weed a few times and then tried ecstasy. Never again. It made me so sick mentally. I prefer to be in control of my body. I hate the paranoid feeling I had on marijuana. The ecstasy I had was laced with speed. I almost went crazy for a night.

It's an interesting question - and yes, we do seem to spend a lot of time and energy on finding ways to get smashed.

Changing consciousness drives it in my opinion. I think it's where people found spirituality, god, "divine"(chemical) inspiration, probably peace. What came first, psylocibin and human consumption or that really fast bit in evolution nobody understands? I think we did it by accident. Liked it and it became fundamental to human thought and mind expansion. Maybe everthing we do is like a result of cordiceps. Maybe the fungus mycelium web decides all. Maybe that going to far but I think curiosity drove it .. but sustained use was driven by pleasures. That's my theory. Maybe it helped evolution?

In 1912 ecstacy was discovered but only tilll the late 80s did it take off with edm it worked really well with those piano riffs hit those heady hights so drugs combined with music make pleasure for us humans.

Everything is natural or not and humans are not the only creatures who get high just for the high. it is in our nature to try things. lemma bight giant millipedes to get high off of the liquid they use to defend themselves but they aren't a food source and they don't kill them.

Well cats like cat-nip, and many other animals seem to like to get stoned. It appears to be pretty natural behavior.

It's simply a pleasure-seeking behaviour. If it wasn't pleasurable, we likely wouldn't do it. Except the masochists out there. Humans like pleasure. And when it gets down to it, even masochism is a kind of pleasure, perverse as it is.

I don't think it's about drugs as much as it is about stimulating the pleasure center of the brain Specifically it's those substances and actions that fire the production of dopamine. Certain drugs are really good that, but become less effective over time, so we consume more to recreate the same feeling.

I think people like to have new experiences. Sometimes to escape or numb pain.

This human does, it seems to true for a lot of humans. I used different drugs at different times in the 70's and 80's. I settled in on pot and a little alcohol, 3 or 4 drinks a week. I saw a nature film about a watering hole somewhere in Africa where some kind fruit tree drops its fruit which ferments on the ground. All these animals from monkeys to elephants and other species get together and get drunk on there asses. It is realy funny. Evidently we are not alone in this.