Alcohol and Drugs History Society

The Alcohol and Drugs History Society is a U.S. based scholarly organization whose members study the history of a variety of illegal, regulated, and unregulated drugs such as opium, alcohol, and coffee. Organized in 2004, the ADHS is the successor of a society with a more limited scope, the Alcohol and Temperance History Group, which existed for 25 years. The last ATHG president and the first ADHS president was Ian R. Tyrrell, an Australian. In July 2006 he was succeeded by an American, W.J. Rorabaugh. Although most ADHS members are English-speakers, there are a few members in Scandinavia, Germany, and elsewhere. The ADHS sponsor The Social History of Alcohol and Drugs: an Interdisciplinary Journal, which appears in both printed and electronic formats, a website that provides bibliographical news and contemporary stories, and a listserv group. SHAD, the ADHS website, and the ADHS electronic discussion group are all edited in Canada. Dan Malleck edits SHAD, while Matthew McKean edits the website and listserv group. The ADHS is affiliated with the American Historical Association and sponsors sessions at the January meetings of the AHA. The ADHS held an international conference in Canada in August 2007, with Guelph University (Ontario) as the host. The next international conference will be in 2009 at Glasgow, Scotland, with Strathclyde University as the host.