Alcohol continued to be used with great gusto during the Middle Ages in Europe.  Around 1250, Europeans developed the process of distillation and added brandy and other liquors to the already popular wine and beer.  The generic term for these distilled products was "the water of life" -- aqua vitae.

Early in the Middle Ages, Arab traders and warriors introduced the use of the opium poppy to India and China.  In China, it was used primarily as a medicine.  But in India, it became a widespread habit of the rich, and soldiers used it to bolster their fighting spirit.  At this time, opium was ingested primarily as a drink; sometimes it was eaten.