From the Stone Age to the 21st century: What role did alcoholic beverages play in the past, and what role do they play today? How have beer, wine, spirits, and others influenced the history and lives of people? Why has the substance ethanol managed to become the most popular and simultaneously the most powerful drug in the world? How do various cultures handle alcohol? What do the major religions say about drinking and intoxication? Who was the most famous drinker of all time? And what was the name of the most famous female drinker? Answers to these and many other interesting questions can be found in this book, along with insights about heaven as a drinker's paradise and earth as a den of sin, the key facts about the benefits and harms of alcohol consumption for society, details about the most bizarre drinking rituals in the world, as well as amusing and tragic stories.