A proposed bioanthropological approach linking ritual and opiate addiction
Lex, B.W.; Schor, N.
Addictive Diseases 3(2): 287-303
1977
ISSN/ISBN: 0094-0267 PMID: 210638 Document Number: 116548
This paper presents preliminary conjectures about possible neurobiological relationships among seemingly disparate phenomena: religious rituals, native curing therapies, and the pharmacodynamic, psychological, and sociocultural components of opiate addiction. Central to the discussion is an analysis of the function of opiate receptors, the endogenous neurochemical that binds to opiate receptors, and the impact of exogenous opiates on human behavior. Throughout the paper a synthetic but admittedly speculative approach is employed.