Drug Abuse and Addiction, History of

Whereas many drugs’ psychoactive qualities have been known for centuries, indeed for millennia, insofar as Western pharmacology and society are concerned, their use really began around 1800. The problematic use of these drugs began to peak in the late 1800s. Alcohol, of course, was noted and acknowledged as challenging, at least for some people, in ancient times, but in the Americas, especially in the British North American colonies, it was used prodigiously. Tradesmen and farmers drank beer at breakfast, at lunch, and during the day. ...