On Drugs

5.0 (1)
SOCIETY & CULTURE
TWICE MONTHLY

On Drugs looks through the lenses of history, pop culture and personal experience to understand how drugs have shaped our world. Because even if it’s just caffeine or ibuprofen, there’s a good chance you’re on drugs right now. Season 3 starts January 6, 2025.

2 DAYS AGO

S3 E2 Did TV teach me to drink “like a man?”

Alcohol has been a fixture on our screens, shaping how we see and consume it. From the “bad boys” of Hollywood’s code era to the grit of film noir, have we learned to drink through the lens of our favorite characters? In this episode, Geoff unpacks these cultural cues with the hosts of Why Theory, tracing the coded messages in pop culture and his own subconscious. What have movies and TV taught us to believe about drinking — and about ourselves? If you haven't already, listen to Episode 1 of Season 3, "Why Do I Keep Drinking?" here.

36 min
6 JAN

S3 E1 Why don’t I stop drinking?

Host Geoff Turner begins his most personal season yet by examining his own relationship with alcohol. In a time when sobriety is on the rise among younger generations, what changed? Through conversations with addiction researcher Dr. Catharine Fairbairn, this episode explores the factors behind the ways we drink, from social habits to self-reflection, and asks if the current cultural shift could lead us toward a more mindful future. Please note, this episode contains references to suicide. Please take care when listening. Resources For more resources on getting help with substance use, please see: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/substance-use/get-help-with-substance-use.html For a detailed list of Canadian resources, including province and territory-specific resources, see: cbc.ca/1.7432271 If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to get help: Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988. Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling on https://kidshelpphone.ca/. Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre at https://suicideprevention.ca/resources/ This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about: https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/guides-and-publications/when-a-family-member-is-suicidal

40 min
SEASON 3 TRAILER

Season 3 of On Drugs is coming!

On Drugs returns for a third season, and this time, it’s really personal. This season, we're challenging the typical narratives about addiction, exploring what substances reveal not only about our bodies but also our understanding of consciousness, our motivations, and our very sense of self. Host Geoff Turner confronts his own casual relationship with alcohol, using it as a lens to question the nature of desire, drive, and what we truly seek from life. Launching January 6, 2025.

1 min
08/09/2021

Introducing: The Flamethrowers

The Flamethrowers captures the punch-you-in-the-mouth energy and sound of right-wing talk radio. Host Justin Ling takes us from the fringe preachers and conspiracy peddlers of the 1920s to the political firestorm that rages today. With humour and candour, Ling examines the appeal of broadcasters like Rush Limbaugh, who found a sleeping audience, radicalized it, and became an accidental kingmaker — culminating in the election of Donald Trump. More episodes are available at smarturl.it/theflamethrowers

4 min
08/09/2020 · BONUS

Introducing: Recall: How to Start a Revolution

The 1950s & 60s saw a wave of radical movements. Che Guevara and the Cuban Revolution. The Black Panthers. Quebec and Canada had the FLQ — a showdown that dissolved into crisis. By October 1970, there were soldiers in the streets, communities on edge, kidnapping and terror in the headlines. But those frightening weeks were just the crescendo of a wave of terror and violence that was nearly a decade in the making. This series will reveal the stories of that time through immersive storytelling and the people who lived it: the bomb disposal expert on defusing live explosives, the survivors of terror, their families, and the radicals themselves. More episodes are available at http://hyperurl.co/recallcbc

32 min
07/05/2018

S2 E11 The Spell of the Poppy

Opioid drugs have claimed a shocking number of lives across North America in recent years, as people fall victim to overdose. While the intensity of crisis is new, our relationship with opiates — and opioids, as they're often referred to now — goes back millennia. This is an overdose crisis thousands of years in the making, and in this episode, Geoff Turner dives into that fascinating history to figure out how we got to this point.

1h 2m
01/05/2018

Replay: Miltown: A forgotten pharma game changer

It's just one more week until the season two finale of On Drugs, but in the meantime, enjoy this favourite from last season. It's all about Miltown, a drug that is mostly forgotten today, but helped create modern psychopharmacology. We're proud to announce that this episode is nominated for Best Podcast at the 2018 Radio Television Digital News Association awards.

35 min
24/04/2018

S2 E10 Prison, On Drugs

This episode goes behind bars to learn how Canadian prisons form a nexus of drug crime, trade and addiction. We'll meet people in prison because of crimes committed in the throes of addiction and learn about how prisoners cope with addiction in custody.

43 min

See All (37)

TRAILER

Season 3 of On Drugs is coming!

On Drugs returns for a third season, and this time, it’s really personal. This season, we're challenging the typical narratives about addiction, exploring what substances reveal not only about our bodies but also our understanding of consciousness, our motivations, and our very sense of self. Host Geoff Turner confronts his own casual relationship with alcohol, using it as a lens to question the nature of desire, drive, and what we truly seek from life. Launching January 6, 2025.

S3

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1 min

Interesting anthropological approach

24/03/2018

Thistle2

Diverse subjects. Combines data and narrative. Well produced

On Drugs looks through the lenses of history, pop culture and personal experience to understand how drugs have shaped our world. Because even if it’s just caffeine or ibuprofen, there’s a good chance you’re on drugs right now. Season 3 starts January 6, 2025.

Channel

CBC Health & Sport
Creator

CBC
Years Active

2017 - 2025
Episodes

37
Rating

Explicit
Show Website

On Drugs
Provider

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has identified itself as a trader for this podcast and confirmed that this product or service complies with European Union law. Address 181 Queen St Ottawa Ontario K1P 1K9 Canada Phone Number +1 8663064636 Email podcasting@cbc.ca