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There basically never was 'before drugs and alcohol', beer dates back to at least 9500 BC, and coca leaf chewing shouldn't be much younger. As for coffee, accor
by kofejnik 9y ago
There basically never was 'before drugs and alcohol', beer dates back to at least 9500 BC, and coca leaf chewing shouldn't be much younger. As for coffee, according to heart.org, "moderate coffee drinking (1–2 cups per day) doesn't seem to be harmful"
- virtualwhys 9y ago> moderate coffee drinking (1–2 cups per day) doesn't seem to be harmful Probably depends on the strength of the coffee, mine were more along the lines of Turkish than Folgers instant. Definitely could feel heart constriction at times. re: before drugs and alcohol, sure, the ancient ones reference is more metaphorical than any historical timeline.
- PhasmaFelis 9y agoEarly beer was much, much weaker than what we have today. In a lot of times and places beer was the primary means of hydration--safer than dirty water--but people weren't staggering around drunk all the time.
- wcummings 9y agoAlcohols intoxicating effects were almost certainly discovered before its usefulness as a disinfectant.
- PhasmaFelis 9y agoSure, but you don't need to know about disinfectant to notice that people who drink the water from the stream get sick and people who drink beer don't. (Nor need to realize that it's because the people and animals upstream are shitting in it. Not a big problem for hunter-gatherers, but it would have become an issue once large-scale agriculture became a thing.)