Bruce Alexander on Addiction & Environmental Crisis

The Happy Pear Podcast - A podcast by The Happy Pear - Wednesdays

“When you are in a war you don’t want to hear that the justifications are false. And this is what we were saying, we were saying that the main justification - that this drug is a irresistibly addictive substance - was not true”Bruce Alexander has spent his life researching drugs and it’s addictions. In his early career he started counselling hard-core drug addicts in Vancouver’s darkest city streets and prisons, thanks to his youthful appearance and curious demeanour he managed to build a relationship with some of these addicts which gave him a fresh perspectives on substance abuse.Bruce began to conducted scientific research with animals (including the well-known “Rat Park” studies) and human beings. Now he uses clinical, historical, and anthropological studies to document the ways in which addiction is built into the emerging globalised society of the modern age. Author of three books including, The Globalization of Addiction: A Study in Poverty of the Spirit (Oxford University Press, 2008), since retiring from Simon Fraser University as Professor Emeritus, he has continued public speaking, primarily in Canada and Europe.An amazing man, with an amazing story! We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.Lots of Love,Dave & SteveFor more information on Bruce please visit his website: https://www.brucekalexander.com/Pre-order our new book The Veg Box Now!Produced by Sara Fawsitt and Seanie Cahill Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.