I am looking for a word that can be used to describe alcoholic beverages, coffee and tobacco products collectively. The closest I can think of is "drug," but that is too broad. Namely, it includes other substances that are not nearly as widely socially and legally accepted, as well as some forms of medicine.
Learn English – Inclusive term for alcohol, coffee and tobacco
single-word-requeststerminologyword-choice
Best Answer
I think I may have it, it's a bit of a cheat but it would comprehend substances such as caffeine, nicotine, and ethanol. It is normally written as two words, legal stimulants, but by adding a hyphen you can make it into a compound word.
legal-stimulants
EDIT
@James McLeod correctly pointed out, in the comments below, that alcohol is classified as a depressant. Despite its name, a depressant does not make a person feel depressed, it is a substance which slows a person's physical and psychological responses. Therefore, if the OP is writing for a medical or an academic journal, the expression "legal-stimulant" would be completely erroneous.
On the one hand, the consumption of alcohol and cigarettes is often called a vice but on the other hand, it would exclude coffee and tea despite both containing the stimulant caffeine.
Addictive-substances might be a possible solution, seeing as all four drugs are addictive but just like the term “drug” itself, an addictive substance would also include narcotics: tranquilizers, sedatives, stupefacients, etc.