Evidence of a ritual use of poppies becomes more and more rare during the late Roman age, until only the medical use of poppies seems to survive. In the meantime, a complete lack of evidence of a hedonic use of opium persists. This study shows a remarkable continuity in the modalities of wine and poppy derivative use from the Ancient World to the present, particularly in that the hedonic use of psychoactive drugs remained restricted to alcoholic beverages. This observation challenges the opinion that drug-taking behavior is under the control of transient cultural contingencies. In addition, it imputes that the attribution of any documented prehistoric or historical nonmedical use of psychotropic drugs to experiment with their pleasant effects is a stereotype. The Greeks and Romans created a network of rules designed to exploit for social purposes wine's psychopharmacological effects. The rules of drinking, though not their justification, survived in European culture. Continuity is apparent also in the case of poppy derivatives. The hedonic consumption of opium never took root in the Ancient World and, while the use of wine and spirits remains widespread, the use of poppy derivatives has remained marginal. Notes, references