Buzz : The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine

With the exception of water, all of the world's major drinks - tea, coffee, cola sodas, beer, wine and distilled liquors - contain either alcohol or caffeine. Billions consume these substances daily - but until recently nobody has known how they work. How does alcohol intoxicate? How does caffeine speed up thought and increase alertness? Are woman intoxicated more easily than men? Why do some become alcoholics? Does caffeine really "burn fat?". "Buzz" answers these and other questions great and small about the world's favourite drugs. Drawing on the latest research findings, "Buzz" vividly explains what happens in the brain and body when alcohol or caffeine are consumed. This often surprising story is laced throughout with anecdotes and lore as ancient as Aristotle's musings on wine and as recent as David Letterman's views on the utility of caffeine. Anyone who has felt the buzz from a cup of java or felt giddy from an alcoholic drink will fine "Buzz" and engrossing exploration of two substances at once utterly familiar and deeply mysterious.