Absinthe - The Cocaine of the Nineteenth Century - A History of the Hallucinogenic Drug and Its Effect on Artists and Writers in Europe and the United States (Hardcover)

Absinthe produced a sense of euphoria, similar to the effect of cocaine and opium, but was addictive and caused a rapid loss of mental and physical faculties. Despite that, Picasso, Manet, Rimbaud and Wilde were among those devoted to the "green fairy, " and produced writings and art influenced by absinthe.