Yes, bethel nut is very common in some cultures. In West Africa, it is traditionally and still part of most ceremonies, including initial offerings of items in view of marrying a woman. So symbolically, the groom’s family’s first step around here is to send a delegation (of his family elders and responsible members relatives) with a particular number of kola/bethel nuts in offering.

Acceptance and sharing in consuming (at least symbolically for non users) of the nuts indicates acceptance by the future bride’s family of the alliance.Additionally, the gentlemanly thing to do when a man gets a woman pregnant out of wedlock is to offer the nuts in appeasement (as a form of social commitment) before taking care of the rest…

It was always used in traditional offerings to local as well as family deities/totems. In that context, it may be similar in significance to the usage ghee in Hinduism.

It may be classified as narcotic (?, not sure), but many elderlies routinely chew on it throughout the day. In that sense it is like coffee in the US. So it very easy to find in market places, kiosks (corner shops) as well sometimes carried in woven basket filled with bethel tree leaves to preserve freshness by walking street vendors. It comes in two varieties, a large typical one that may be whitish or reddish that can split in halves. The other variety is small and more bitter in taste, about 1/3 of the size of a medium sized typical one. You can now get dried bethel powder on Amazon (I guess it’s not really a narcotic).

Those elderlies back then also used chew. That is crushed powdered tobacco leaves, same as used in the US. Baseball players are know to use it, and of course they also can spit a whole lot! But they are given the exceptional pass to spit publicity, in a culture that is generally spooked by bodily fluids.

The habitual usage causes teeth to discolor much like the case with coffee, cigarettes, chew or wine. Bethel does contain a great deal of caffeine and is more so a stimulant than a narcotic, strictly speaking. It is also purported to have some aphrodisiac virtues as well as an appetite suppressant (for hard laborers with minimal/reduced access to nutrition/food.