A psychiatrist examines how the world's four most important mind-altering substances such as alcohol, cocaine, nicotine, and opiates, have played a significant role throughout human history, and explains how these powerful drugs affect the brain and cause addiction. -- Provided by publisher.

"Praeger, an imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC."

Alcohol -- Why we need water -- Fermentation -- Distillation -- Alcohol and the Addams Family: the scourge of intemperance -- Patent medicines, Lydia Pinkham, and the great American fraud -- Carry nation: hatchetation against saloonacy -- Cocaine -- Sniffing cocaine, heroin, and tobacco -- William Stewart Halsted -- Sigmund Freud and cocaine -- Nicotine -- Tobacco and illness: the discovery -- Women and cigarettes -- Opiates -- Discovery of the opiate receptor -- Pain and anesthesia: the role of cocaine and opiates -- The Gladstones and opium -- Opium smoking, the opium wars, and emigration from China -- The brain - Addiction.