Overview
Inebriety refers to the state of being drunk, normally from alcohol.
History and Etymology
While the term “inebriate” can be found in the 15th century in the context of being “inebriate in the love of God” in reference to feeling overwhelmed with religious zeal and spirit, it was used as a euphemism for being drunk for centuries until the late 1800s. Physicians began using the term when addressing addiction, such as the American Association for the Study and Cure of Inebriety in 1870 or The Journal of Inebriety (1876-1914). Patients were often sent to dedicated “inebriate asylums.” Now, the term is considered outdated, first replaced by “alcoholism” and “addiction”, which in turn were replaced with “substance use disorder” or “alcohol use disorder.”