Scientists Find Evidence of World's Oldest Drug Habit in 25,000-Year-Old Teeth

Scientists found traces of betel nut chewing on teeth of two ancient hunter-gatherers from Sulawesi island, dating back 16,000 to 25,000 years. This is the oldest known evidence of psychoactive substance use: arecoline from the nut relieved tooth pain, leading to addiction over time.

• Oldest find from Sulawesi cave dates 16,000 to 25,000 years
• Molars show traces of chewing a hard object betel nut-sized
• Experiment confirmed chewing releases pain-relieving arecoline
• Scientists believe betel addiction arose earlier than alcohol