American Indians often would go off alone, starve themselves and work themselves into a fit of hallucinations. From these they got their “visions” and it became a big part of their life.
Then they found the white man had all those “visions” trapped in a bottle. For a few hides they could get a bottle and have all the “visions” they needed.
Sad but true.
Good serious take on this.
I sometimes wonder if there is a similarity in opening hidden centers of the mind that are shared by Jesus in the wilderness, Moses , Elijah and also the shamans and others among Indians.
Swamis say the LSD type entry is too quick and artificial-—unless they are jealous after spending years of meditation themselves.
Society gives easy liquor access to people in hopeless or nearly hopeless situations such as in the poorest part of any urban area of the US.
By the way, your homepage is one of the most interesting on Free Republic. Well worth visiting, all.