Smart drinks, also known as

nootropic Nootropics ( or ) (colloquially brain supplements, smart drugs, cognitive enhancers, memory enhancers, or brain boosters) are chemical substances which purportedly improve cognitive functions, such as attention, memory, wakefulness, and self ...

drinks, are

beverage A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoothie ...

s made from a mix of

fruit juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat or seafood, such ...

vitamins Vitamins are organic molecules (or a set of closely related molecules called vitamers) that are essential to an organism in small quantities for proper metabolic function. Essential nutrients cannot be synthesized in the organism in suff ...

, herbal supplements, and a variety of

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 a ...

supplements.

History

The consumption of smart drinks and "smart drugs" began in the early 1980s when

baby boomers Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the demographic cohort preceded by the Silent Generation and followed by Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964 during the mid-20th century baby boom that ...

started using because they believed these products would improve

job performance Job performance assesses whether a person performs a job well. Job performance, studied academically as part of industrial and organizational psychology, also forms a part of human resources management. Performance is an important criterion for o ...

and give them a competitive edge in the workplace. The popularity of smart drinks peaked during the early 1990s, as all-night

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

and

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

parties took place, events of the underground dance culture at the time, known as "

rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

s". Rave enthusiasts preferred drugs such as

ecstasy Ecstasy most often refers to: * Ecstasy (emotion), a trance or trance-like state in which a person transcends normal consciousness * Religious ecstasy, a state of consciousness, visions or absolute euphoria * Ecstasy (philosophy), to be or stand o ...

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug use, recreational or Performance-enhancing substance, performance-enhancing drug and less commonly as a secon ...

ketamine Ketamine is a cyclohexanone-derived general anesthetic and NMDA receptor antagonist with analgesic and hallucinogenic properties, used medically for anesthesia, depression, and pain management. Ketamine exists as its S- (esketamine) a ...

, or "

poppers Poppers are recreational drugs belonging to the alkyl nitrite family of chemical compounds. When fumes from these substances are inhaled, they act as potent vasodilators, producing mild euphoria, warmth, and dizziness. Most effects have a r ...

" to alcohol. Instead of drinking

alcoholic beverage Drinks containing alcohol (drug), alcohol are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and Distilled beverage, spirits—with alcohol content typically between 3% and 50%. Drinks with less than 0.5% are sometimes considered Non-al ...

s at raves, the dancers would drink smart drinks. Smart drinks not only held a novelty factor for the vibrant social

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture, cultural society that differentiates itself from the values of the conservative, standard or dominant culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures ...

, but they also helped rave promoters by eliminating the need to secure alcohol sales permits and therefore allowed raves to be held outside of the traditional nightclub, bar or pub scene. Smart drink ingredients often include substances such as DL-phenylalanine or L-

phenylalanine Phenylalanine (symbol Phe or F) is an essential α-amino acid with the chemical formula, formula . It can be viewed as a benzyl group substituent, substituted for the methyl group of alanine, or a phenyl group in place of a terminal hydrogen of ...

, L-

tyrosine -Tyrosine or tyrosine (symbol Tyr or Y) or 4-hydroxyphenylalanine is one of the 20 standard amino acids that are used by cells to synthesize proteins. It is a conditionally essential amino acid with a polar side group. The word "tyrosine" is ...

choline Choline is a cation with the chemical formula . Choline forms various Salt (chemistry), salts, such as choline chloride and choline bitartrate. An essential nutrient for animals, it is a structural component of phospholipids and cell membrane ...

(trimethylaminoethanol),

pyroglutamic acid Pyroglutamic acid (also known as PCA, 5-oxoproline, pidolic acid) is a ubiquitous but understudied natural amino acid derivative in which the free amino group of glutamic acid or glutamine cyclizes to form a lactam. The names of pyroglutamic acid ...

B vitamins B vitamins are a class of water-soluble vitamins that play important roles in Cell (biology), cell metabolism and synthesis of red blood cells. They are a chemically diverse class of compounds. Dietary supplements containing all eight are referr ...

glucuronolactone Glucuronolactone or Glucurolactone (INN) is a naturally occurring substance that is an important structural component of nearly all connective tissues. It is sometimes used in energy drinks. Unfounded claims that glucuronolactone can be used to ...

, and DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol). These amino acids were claimed to have positive or enhanced effects on alertness, stress resistance and energy levels. Some of the acids, then considered "foods" and

nutritional supplements A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement a person's diet by taking a pill, capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients either extracted from food sources, or that are synthetic ( ...

by government agencies like the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), changed in status and have since been removed from store shelves. Others are still available when prescribed by a doctor.

External links

* * * {{cite web , title=West Coast Trend: 'Smart' Drinks Touted As Pick-me-up For Body , website=tribune digital-

chicago tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

, date=1992-03-18 , url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/03/18/west-coast-trend-smart-drinks-touted-as-pick-me-up-for-body/ , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304201031/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-03-18/news/9201250314_1_smart-drugs-hydergine-memory-fuel , archive-date=2016-03-04 , url-status=unfit , ref={{sfnref , tribunedigital-chicagotribune , 1992 , access-date=2023-01-13, quote=The blenderized concoctions have become de rigueur at the trendiest San Francisco clubs and night spots, where smart bars offer cocktails with names like Energy Elicksure and Psuper Psonic Psyber Tonic. Users say the drinks are a better social lubricant than alcohol; they provide pep and increase conversational skills; and you can still drive home safely. Nootropics Drinks