To mark the launch of the research project “Ritual Dynamics and Salutogenesis in the Use and Misuse of Psychoactive Substances”, Henrik Jungaberle and Rolf Verres have written an essay on “Rituals of Intoxication”. In a brief cultural history, the tension between culture and medicine becomes visible. The topic was researched from 2002-20213 in a Collaborative Research Area of the German Research Foundation at Heidelberg University Hospital.