Addiction is older than morality. Long before psychiatrists and courts defined it, people sought solace and transcendence in plants, potions, and fermented drinks. This episode challenges the myth that addiction reflects weakness or lack of willpower. Instead, it shows how communities across cultures understood intoxication as part of life—sometimes sacred, sometimes destructive. We trace how modern society reframed this ancient impulse as sin, defect, or crime, ignoring both science and history. Addiction is not a moral failing. It is a human reality, demanding compassion, context, and clarity.

By Niklas S. Osterman BHPRN, MA Addiction Specialist