Forces of Habit: Drugs and the Making of the Modern World

By David T. Courtwright

Book Overview

Why are coffee, tobacco, and marijuana available the world over, but not peyote or qat? Why are alcohol and tobacco legal, but not heroin or cocaine? What drives the drug, and how has it come to be what it is today - a vast, chequered pattern of use and abuse, medicine and recreation, commerce and interdiction? A global history of the acquisition of progressively more potent means of altering ordinary waking consciousness, this book provides the big picture of the discovery, interchange, and exploitation of the planet's psychoactive resources, from tea and kola to opiates and amphetamines. Offering a social and biological account of why psychoactive goods proved so seductive, David Courtwright tracks the intersecting paths by which popular drugs entered the stream of global commerce. He shows how the efforts of merchants and colonial planters expanded world supply, drove down prices, and drew millions of less affluent purchasers into the market, effectively democratizing drug consumption.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674004582
• ISBN13: 9780674004580
• Release Date: March 2001
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.23 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.0" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

History That's NOT Dull

What fun this book is! Too bad all history books are not so entertaining and informative. We might all benefit from understanding the history of the economics and culture that underpin drug trafficking in the 21st century. If history and economics were always written in such an engaging way, nobody would ever flunk out of History 101 or find it boring.

More information than I thought possible

I'm an obscure history buff and when I saw this one it piqued my interest. This is part history, part science and part sociology and the author makes this a more interesting subject than I thought it could be. He starts off with what he calls the Big Three: Alcohol, Tobacco and Caffiene. From there he breaks it further down citing the most popular and not so popular illegal drugs. Mentioning natural stimulants that are unfamiliar to most, such as Qat, Kava and Betel and the very descriptive reasons on why they did not take to popular consumption.Courtwright also doesn't fail to mention that, even though with best intentions, scientists around the 1800's and the turn of the century were also responsible for some of the most addictive substances. Your jaw will drop when you read who devolped heroin and what is was originally used for.Fun, informative, and mind blowing reading.

The historian of social deviance strikes again!

I was attracted to this book originally because I had read one of Courtwright's other books, "Violent Land," and was very much impressed. Courtwright seems to be building a career on the study of the historical dimensions of deviance--which is important for all of us when we try to look at today's problems in perspective. A major theme of "Forces of Habit" is that some drugs, such as coffee, tea, tobacco, alcohol, and chocolate have become "world drugs" due to the efforts of the international pushers known as "the West." Other drugs, such as qat, kava, and betel have never caught on in the West and, as a result, have not been made into international commodities complete with huge multi-continent plantations and a complex distribution system. The West, however, has now decided that some drugs are bad because they don't work well in complex, industrialized society--cocaine, heroin, etc. Even though the British were once the major distributors of Opium, literally forcing it on the Chinese, they now oppose it. "Forces of Habit" is a fascinating but quick tour of many aspects of the history of drugs from a macro perpective. If you are looking for more details on specific drugs or a detailed analysis of a particular era, Courtwright does offer an annotated bibliography to guide you. If all you want is an overview, this is a great place to start.

Clear, concise and well written

I saw a blurb on this book in the Chronicle of Higher Ed and picked it up, reading it over vacation. Mr. Courtwright has written a detailed, well supported work about the history of licit and illicit drugs without espousing favored theories or working the material around to support his conclusions. He has brought diverse detailed information together, creating a cogent, fascinating and frightening picture of how the 'big three' and the 'little three' of licit and illicit substances gained such prevalence in daily life. As a side note, there was a certain irony to drinking a Diet Coke and reading this book that other readers will appreciate.

Excellant Scholarship, Great Reading

I read an early draft of this book, then recently finished the completed product. In both cases, the book was always easy to read, enlightening, and meticulously researched. Courtwright is a well known social historian who has specialized in drug abuse and violence in modern society. Forces of Habit more of a general history than his early works, which primarily dealt with narrow topics. In the book, Courtwright traces the spread of drug use (and abuse) from isolated, local customs to the largescale manufacture and distribution seen today. He explores the history of all psychoactive substances, both legal and illegal. Tobbaco, alcohol, and caffenine are explored in one chapter, where cocaine, marijuana, and opiates are dealt with in the next. Other, rare drugs are also discussed.Courtwright presents a balanced view of the use of these substances, exploring the economic, political, and cultural impact of drug use. This book is always a pleasure to read, as Courtwright has the ability to convey information easily, without "dumbing it down" for the reader. This book is highly recommended.