Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine

Science journalist Stephen Braun explores the science and lore of alcohol and caffeine in this slim but informative little volume. Recent progress in understanding brain chemistry has given scientists a different perspective on the workings of these two of mankind's oldest chemical friends. Alcohol is a small molecule which is soluble in both fat and water and consequently its physiological effects are manifold. Rather than the simple depressant it was once presumed to be, it is in fact a "pharmacy in a bottle" which can mimic cocaine, amphetamines, opium and valium. Given that the brain contains 40 or so neurotransmitters, it is fair to say that the full effects of alcohol are still far from being understood; broadly, however, it can reduce anxiety and stimulate the reward centres of the brain. Its effects on sexual desire and sleep are contradictory. It raises desire, yet in large quantities impedes performance. The stimulating effect is in part psychological: research volunteers who believed they had consumed alcohol but hadn't, became more aroused than those who had but thought they hadn't. It promotes sleepiness, yet worsens the quality of sleep and interferes with the sleep cycle. The effects vary with gender. In one survey 68% of women, but only 45% of men, replied that alcohol enhances sex. The oft-observed fact of women becoming intoxicated faster then men on a given dose is apparently due not to differences in blood volume (otherwise why would small men not also become drunk faster?) but rather to a difference in the effectiveness of alcohol dehydrogenase (an enzyme which can exist in 17 different varieties in the same person), a difference which fades with age. The other major effect of alcohol is that in moderate quantities it appears to reduce the risk of heart disease, a benefit which is lost, but accompanied by many detriments to health, with increasing consumption. The genetics of sensitivity to alcohol are also fascinating. Alcoholism in humans appears to be environmental in origin, although it does have a weak genetic component. In mice, the story really gets interesting. Certain physiological responses to alcohol can be bred into or out of mice. Members of one strain sleep for a long time after consuming alcohol, but others sleep only briefly. Or the metabolism of one strain speeds up following a drink, but that of another slows down. Such differences also exist in people: some actually become drowsy on small doses, but more alert on larger ones, the opposite of the majority response. The key point is that the effects of alcohol are complicated and occasion a great diversity of responses. For an individual the only way to fully gauge the effects is by (hopefully judicious) experimentation. Caffeine, metabolically speaking, is another kettle of fish. Although it also has a wide range of effects it specifically targets receptors of the neurotransmitter adenosine (also, incidentally, affected by alcohol). Thus

"Buzz" by Stephen Braun is one of the best science books I've read in a while. Mr. Braun destroyes popular myths about society's most popular drugs, and he replaces those myths with facts and evidence. Often those facts are just as interesting as the myths! The book is witty and full of insight and advice about caffeine and alcohol. A must read for people curious about the two most popular drugs on the planet.

Although I know somewhat more than the average person about both substances, This book gave me new information presented in an interesting style. I would recommend it highly both to the casual reader and to educational programs for medical and substance abuse communities.And, the guy has a sense of humor!!

The book lifts into the hard core facts about alcolhol, caffine, drugs, and other stimulants while keeping a common sense attitude to the subject. Very interesting, especially for the college student.

Caffeine and alcohol are two of the most popular drugs on earth, and yet until recently not a whole lot has been found out about how they affect us. Stephen Braun's "Buzz" compiles the latest research on them, and examines the truth of various myths that have grown up around them. Braun looks at each drug separately and records his findings with a clarity of prose that will delight the general reader. His book goes down like a smooth cup of Joe, or a sip of Kentucky bourbon. -- Bill Pesche