There is growing concern, globally, regarding use of nitrous oxide (N2O) for intoxication purposes. This paper aims to examine trends in: (i) past six month N2O use among a sample of people who use regularly use ecstasy and/or other illicit stimulants (2003-2020); (ii) volume of N2O-related Google searches and social media posts (2009-2020); and (iii) N2O-related calls to Poisons Information...
Introduction The title of this chapter arises from a playful modification and subsequent fusion of Voltaire's famous aphorism ("If God did not exist, he would have to be invented") with Eric Hobsbawm's seminal insights into the "invention" of tradition within modern society. Provoked by an atheistic pamphlet then in circulation, the aphoristic response coined by Voltaire in 1768 embodies a...
With specific reference to the spread of non-traditional forms of spirit possession, this article explores the growing influence of the Afro-Brazilian religion of Umbanda upon the Brazilian new religion of Santo Daime. The following material opens by introducing Santo Daime and plotting the historical trajectory of spirit possession from the movement's beginnings in 1930s' Brazil, to its spread...