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Tobacco Alcohol and Caffeine—Centuries of Use - Alcohol, Tobacco, Caffeine

Alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine have been used around the world for centuries. They are firmly entrenched in modern life—socially, economically, and politically. Virtually every society uses one or more of these drugs.

Alcohol has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries, primarily for sedation. Until 1842, when modern surgical anesthesia began with the use of ether, only heavy doses of alcohol were consistently effective to ease pain during operations.

Tobacco is a commercially grown plant that contains nicotine, an addictive drug. Nicotine is primarily found in tobacco products, such as cigarettes and chewing tobacco, but is also used in the manufacture of certain pesticides.

Caffeine is the most commonly used stimulant in the world. It comes from several commercially grown plants: beans of the coffee plant; leaves of the tea plant; cocoa beans of the cacao tree, from which chocolate is made; and kola nuts from kola trees, from which the flavoring agent in cola drinks is derived. Caffeine is often added to foods and medications. Compared to alcohol and tobacco, it is only mildly addictive, but caffeine can have effects on behavior and health.

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Tobacco Alcohol and Caffeine—Centuries of Use - Alcohol

Ethyl alcohol (ethanol), the active ingredient in beer, wine, and other liquors, is the oldest known mood-altering or psychoactive drug. It is also the only type of alcohol used as a beverage. Ethanol can cause a feeling of well-being or induce sedation, intoxication, or unconsciousness. It can also produce toxic effects on the body. Other alcohols, including methanol and isopropyl alcohol, can ha…

Tobacco Alcohol and Caffeine—Centuries of Use - Tobacco

When Christopher Columbus and his crew arrived in the "New World" in 1492, he wrote of the indigenous peoples "perfuming" themselves by puffing on "a lighted firebrand." The Indians inhaled smoke through a Y-shaped tube called a tobaca or tobago, which are thought to be possible origins for the name of the tobacco plant. As European settlers came to North …

Tobacco Alcohol and Caffeine—Centuries of Use - Caffeine

Stone Age peoples were probably familiar with most of the caffeine-producing plants. Early humans chewed the leaves, bark, and seeds of many plants and learned to enjoy the sensations of alertness and elevated mood produced by some. Consequently, caffeine-producing plants were cultivated widely from early times. It was not until much later, however, that people discovered that steeping the plants …

Alcohol—What it Is and What it Does - What Constitutes A Drink?, Alcohol Consumption In Theunited States, The Short-term Effects Of Alcohol On The Body [next] [back] Abuse Drugs—Use and Addiction - Five Categories Of Substances, Drugs Discussed In This Book, What Are Abuse And Addiction?

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