Abstract
Although the concept of ‘drugs’ was unknown in the eighteenth-
century Dutch Republic, the consumption of psychoactive substances
was part of the diet. Consumption patterns shifted significantly during the
century. Alcohol was consumed increasingly in the form of jenever (geneva)
and wine rather than beer, snuff tobacco became popular alongside pipe
smoking, the popularity of coffee and tea continued to grow and opium was
an essential medicine. Criticism and ridiculization of these new consumer
fashions grew at the same time as concerns about dependence on them. A
distinct and elaborated concept of addiction didn´t exist. The argument of
some historians that this eighteenth-century ‘psychoactive revolution’ led
to the dissemination of more ‘civilized’ and ‘bourgeois’ modes of behaviour
remains questionable.
century Dutch Republic, the consumption of psychoactive substances
was part of the diet. Consumption patterns shifted significantly during the
century. Alcohol was consumed increasingly in the form of jenever (geneva)
and wine rather than beer, snuff tobacco became popular alongside pipe
smoking, the popularity of coffee and tea continued to grow and opium was
an essential medicine. Criticism and ridiculization of these new consumer
fashions grew at the same time as concerns about dependence on them. A
distinct and elaborated concept of addiction didn´t exist. The argument of
some historians that this eighteenth-century ‘psychoactive revolution’ led
to the dissemination of more ‘civilized’ and ‘bourgeois’ modes of behaviour
remains questionable.
Translated title of the contribution | Drink and drugs in the eighteenth century: chaning consumption patterns |
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Original language | Dutch |
Pages (from-to) | 45-56 |
Journal | Jaarboek De achttiende eeuw |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 56 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Keywords
- history of drugs
- alcohol
- tobacco
- coffee
- tea
- opium