“(L)ow beer buzz” explores the feeling of exhilaration. It makes our lives feel delicious but works by coloring the world a bit outside the lines. On the other hand, “nothing in excess” was one of the three great maxims from the Apollo Temple in Delphi, suggesting any stimulant, be it alcohol, sex, music, or even political power, is best enjoyed within the boundary of our control.
A low beer buzz symbolizes a feel-good state that simplifies our quest for satisfaction, but it is usually harmless. But it is difficult to maintain. Get the timing wrong and the next beer, or whatever the intoxicant, takes us to a coin flip: an out-of-control or a depressed “coming down” state.
It is surprising that a tendency toward addiction, the need to feel the pleasure of an intoxicant—often in ever larger doses, has been hardwired into us by evolution. But hunter-gatherer culture preceded the careful farming life and the imperative, “get it while you can,” even when too much has stuck to us.
