Ethanol , also commonly called alcohol, spirits, ethyl alcohol, and drinking alcohol, is the principal type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, produced by the fermentation of sugars by yeasts. It is a neurotoxic psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs used by humans. It can cause alcohol intoxication when consumed in sufficient quantity. Ethanol is used as a solvent, an antiseptic, a fuel and the active fluid in modern (post-mercury) thermometers (since it has a low freezing point). It is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid with a strong chemical odor. Its structural formula , is often abbreviated as , or EtOH.