Drugs, Addiction and Initiation: The Modern Search for Ritual

by Luigi Zoja, Marc E. Romano (Translator), Robert Mercurio (Translator)

Luigi Zoja argues that the pervasive abuse of drugs in our society can in large part be ascribed to a resurgence of the collective need for initiation and initiatory a longing for something sacred underlies our cultureâ s manic drive toward excessive consumption. In a society without ritual, the drug addict seeks not so much the thrill of a high as the satisfaction of an inner need for a participation mystique in the dominant religion of our consumerism.

Genres: Addiction, Psychology, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Anthropology

Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Luigi Zoja Luigi Zoja Ph.D. (1943) is an Italian psychoanalyst and writer. He took a degree in economics and did research in sociology during the late 1960s. Soon thereafter he studied at the C. G. Jung Institute in Zurich. After taking his diploma, Zoja returned to Zurich to work at a clinic for several years. He maintains a private practice in Milan. He also practiced for two years in New York City, during a period that bracketed the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D. C. He has taught regularly at the Zurich Jung Institute, and also on occasion at the Universities of Palermo and Insubria. From 1984 to 1993, Zoja was president of CIPA (Centro Italiano di Psicologia Analitica), and from 1998 to 2001 was president of the IAAP (International Association of Analytical Psychology). Later he chaired the IAAP's International Ethics Committee. His essays and books have appeared in 14 languages.

Most of his essays interpret present-day predicaments (addiction, limitless consumption, the absence of the father, hatred and paranoid projections in politics, etc.) by placing them in the light of persistent ancient patterns, as expressed in myth and classical literature. Archetypal psychologist James Hillman has called Zoja an "anthropological psychologist" as one way of indicating the range and depth of his thinking.

Reviews

[Brian Fagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly important book on drug addiction through a Jungian lens.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unsubstantiated Gibberish

I was recommended this book by several friends and I was soon disappointed by the authors' complete lack of respect for evidence or citations as a way to back his claims. This book continuously makes broad and universal sounding claims without facts to back then. Even in situations where the author could easily cite national statistics or, say, quote directly from interviews with terrorist, the author instead chooses to flippantly proselytize from subject to subject.

At best mystically incomprehensible, at worst rambling. Avoid.

[Razique M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second time that I read this book. Zoja is eloquent, incisive, and offers an insightful perspective on drugs consumption and its relationship to rituals.

The thesis is clear and sound, and made me reflect a lot on my own life and my relationship to rituals (Zoja in the context of our modern societies ties that to both "Love" and "obsession"). This is a great book, that I highly recommend for anyone interest in the the topics of religion, culture, and "drugs".
One weak point of the thesis is perhaps not having differentiated enough the various drugs and their relationship to addiction, as he explains that the tripartite model is archetypal above all (and as such, what matters if the consistent relationship to the substance more than its effect). However, he is aware of this fact (when he discusses hallucinogens for instance), and for substances where the addiction element is missing, I didn't quite understood how the archetype would maintain its integrity.

That being said, it was helpful to understand better the dichotomy between "positive" and "negative" addictions, and how he mapped the Kleinian developmental model to addiction.

This is a wonderful contribution to the field of anthropology, sociology, and psychology.

[Ade Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting perspective on addictions today being rooted in the lack of clear rituals, social management of time. I shall be returning to it shortly as I am currently very interested in how undease with time, failure to make peace with time, underlies much contemporary emotional distress.