The Dr. Junkie Show

This week I dive into some of the work Freud wrote later in his life, particularly a book called Civilization and its Discontents published in 1930. Freud believed that the evolutionary process we can use to trace the changes humans have gone through over the centuries can also explain why culture itself has evolved as it has. He basically thinks we are all self-deceiving, chronically unfulfilled and unsatisfied bots programmed to lie to ourselves above all else, and to avoid feeling guilt or shame based on unavoidable urges we all have by lying to ourselves and everyone else about those urges existing. Instead we redirect them. Killing someone in revenge becomes laser tag this weekend. Driving 100mph like an asshole to work everyday becomes gokarts and beers on Friday night. Cheating with the neighbor becomes an Only Fans subscription or a weekend at a swinger's convention. In this episode I cover morality, guilt, shame, intoxication, sublimation, civilization, and Freud's views on why all of these things exist in the human species. Support the show

This week I talk about Freud's love of cocaine, the historical legacy of Freud's cocaine use, and the cultural changes that have occurred since then in relation to cocaine. The stories we tell about drugs impact the experience we have when we consume them, but Freud wasn't dealing with a century of propaganda. He was, in many ways, creating some of the original stories about cocaine that others would tell later on. But his positive stories were largely erased when cocaine was outlawed in the early 1900s, and the impact cocaine had on his theories was minimized in much of his surviving work. Support the show

This week I dive into some of Trump's recent comments about "Venezuelan gang members" and the USA's legacy of dehumanizing people based on their drug use. I discuss Rodney King, Joaquín Guzman aka "El Chapo," George Floyd, dehumanization, Hannah Arendt's Banality of Evil, the art of shilling for Trump (aka "minionism"), and lots more.You can find clips and images of the "Venezuelan Gang deportations" here. Support the show

This week I share a conversation with one of my students, Madeline Grace/Levin, who is creating a podcast of her own called Dependence. I will update this episode description with a link to her podcast when it's live, but in the mean time I thought I'd share a cool conversation we had last week. We talk about religion, drugs, addiction, Michel de Certeau, neoliberalism, atheism, 12-step programs, chihuahuas, spirituality, Trump Derangement Syndrome, religion as a drug, and lots more. Support the show

This week I sat down to record a conversation with my dad, Steve Boyce. We talk about my childhood, his first marriage to my bio-mom, addiction and drug use in his life, what I was like as a kid, cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, and religion (plus more). Support the show

This week I talk about the kratom wars: the argument over whether kratom is a deadly drug or a miracle cure (or somewhere in between). While some states are currently trying to ban kratom, others are working to make it easier and safer to get. Meanwhile, the federal government has been a bit all over the place on it, and with Trump 2.0 gathering early steam by pandering to Project 2025 nationalists, it's hard to say what attempted legislation might materialize in coming years. So let's talk about kratom. Check out the American Kratom Association to get involved or to find safe suppliers, local activists, or more information about kratom. Support the show

This week I tackle some of the questions and comments I've been getting over the last couple months. I talk about Trump's neoliberal agenda, his capture of the Evangelical Right, Consistency and Accountability in both criminal justice and religion, and I clean up some of what I may have missed during the last few episodes I've done on these issues.This episode was mostly unscripted and it's all over the place, but hey, some people enjoy rants, so if that's you, have at it. Support the show

This week Dr. Christy Perez (C Dreams) is back to talk about her new projects, and to be dragged back into old theological debates. We talk about trans rights, Christianity, the capture of Evangelical Christianity by MAGA, expectations for the next 4 years, the anti-fact stance of the recent anti-trans executive order, and we spend way too long spinning our tires trying to figure out which parts of the Bible we should read as legitimate, which parts we should disregard, and how on Earth anyone is supposed to know the difference (but if you've listened for long, you already know that's just me). You can find out more about Dr. Perez's work here. Christy's (Dr. Perez's) personal website: Www.UnCagedCritique.comHer new organization's website is: Www.poderunides.orgYou can email her at Christinasvida@gmail.com or at Cperez@poderunides.orgHer social media is fabulous. X @UnCagedCritique IG @UnCagedChristy Dr. Perez's work is also available on Filter Magazine's website. Support the show

This week I get back to the heart of the show: drug policy, drug addiction, and drugs. I talk about free will as it relates to the war on drugs, addiction and intoxication, and I dig into genetics, criminal justice, punishment and prevention. The nonsensical notion of free will, which I've yet to hear defined with any sort of coherence, plays no part in addiction, and our insistence that it does has allowed us to construct a culture that maximized both the occurrence and the severity of addiction. I plan to do a follow up show to respond to questions or comments you have about this (or any) episode. Let me know what you want to hear. Support the show

This week I talk about coffee: the history, the pharmacology, the politics and the legal battles. I take a dialectical perspective, which just means I focus on both sides of the coffee discussion: it has been blamed for sexual promiscuity and inability to perform; it has been the instigator of both dictatorships and revolutions; it has been labeled both a drug and an anti-drug in different times and places. I also talk about caffeine as a drug and the reason we don't live in a world where we are at war with caffeine in the same way we are at war with so many other drugs and drug users. I discuss Coca-Cola's caffeine lawsuit, cocaine/coca, feminist movement and coffee, neoliberalism and coffee, and the USA's persistent habit of meddling in the affairs of S. American countries. Support the show

This week I finally finish the topic a started a few weeks ago: religious trauma and why religion often makes people into worse versions of themselves without them noticing. I discuss two of the most important questions in life: how does one find truth, and how does one decide on morality. And I point out the many ways that religions, particularly Christianity, disrupts the process by which we do both while preventing us from noticing our lack of recipe for finding either one (truth or morality). Now days, most of us practice objective morality in which we make our own rules and morals based on what feels right to us. But religious people do so without ever having to admit it; they say they take their morals from holy books while selectively skipping those rules they don't think should apply anymore.As always in these episodes on religion, I'm not attacking Christians. I am criticizing an idea, not people. If you practice a religion, the challenge here is not to give it up (unless you come to the conclusion it's not true), but rather to practice it responsibly and to value the truth enough to make sure you are practicing the correct form of your religion. To see Kenneth Copeland's full interview with Inside Edition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LtF34MrsfITo see Kevin thank God and no one else for saving him from 37 stab wounds: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=944370430207535Support the show

This week I get back to the roots of the show and talk about drugs, specifically alcohol. How does it work? What does it do in the body? Why is it so popular in so many cultures? How has capitalism both attacked and encouraged alcohol use at various times? Why did prohibition happen in the first place? How did our relationship with alcohol change as neoliberal capitalism expanded? Support the show

The title of this week's episode is a shout out to philosopher Bertrand Russell, who wrote a book by the same name: Why I am not a Christian. This week I talk about religion as an addiction, responsible use of religion, how religion often programs people to avoid accountability and double down on things they know are not true, the problem with the Bible and other religious books, and lots more. *Of all the many things people complained about in this episode, there is one error that is worth fixing: the goats I claim Jesus threw off a cliff for no reason were actually pigs. See Mark 5.Support the show

Today's episode includes an interview with formerly incarcerated activist Jeremy Pavlik. Jeremy was incarcerated in Colorado for more than 15 years before his release in 2014. Since then, he has worked with multiple agencies who assist other recently released people trying to get back on their feet. He is currently working to start up his own organization, which you'll hear us talk about today, devoted to fulfilling all needs of recently released people under one roof, from transportation to licensing to food to clothing to medical assistance and housing. You can reach Jeremy at jpavlik@haloreentry.comSupport the show

This week friend of the show Meghan Cosgrove stopped by to interview me in our ongoing series about previously incarcerated people who have used education to find a pathway to success. Long time listeners have heard pieces of my story, but I've seldom stopped to dig deep into what happened to me and why my life went the way it went. We talk about prison education, addiction, religious trauma, heroin injection versus snorting, bank robbery, free will, teaching in prison, and lots more.  FYI, the 1963 Impala I talk about rolling at the end was actually a 1967 (my dad remembered)Support the show

Today I continue a series of interviews with recently incarcerated people who are doing some great things in the community. Taylor Doucet was sentenced to 28 years in prison for two attempted murderers in 2013. While inside he found a different version of himself and worked to overcome his past. Now he is a peer recovery coach, a personal trainer, and a bad ass academic.We talk about prison tattoos, prison identity, gang life in prison, peer recovery, addiction, the war on drugs, parole, prison politics, and lots moreSupport the show

This week I host another interview with a previously incarcerated student who is doing some great work in the community. Sean Mueller was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2010 after being convicted of running a "Ponzi Scheme" and losing a few million dollars of investors' money. Since his incarceration, he's worked to become an artist, an author, and an academic; he is currently nearing the completion of his Bachelor's Degree. We talk about capitalism, education in prison, addiction, the culture industry, identity, and the struggles of getting out of prison. Support the show

This week I share a story from another previously-incarcerated person who is doing some incredible work in the community. Geordan Morris was one of my students in the CU-Denver Strategic Communication program, and since his release earlier this year, he's worked with others who have struggled with addiction, trauma, and incarceration to help them define recovery on their own terms and to embody a better way of life. We discuss stigma, prison education, adoption, addiction, trauma, recovery, free will and self inflicted gunshot wounds. Support the show

This week I sat down with Colorado's David Carrillo, who was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole thirty years ago, when he was 19 years old. Since then, David has accomplished some incredible things behind bars. He enrolled in college, completed his Bachelor's and then his Master's Degree, and then got hired to teach for a local college inside prison while he was still incarcerated. We talk about life in prison, drugs in prison, prison education, redemption, identity changes in prison, politics in prison, and we focus on the importance of educational opportunities inside. Support the show

Today is the first episode in a series about people who are justice impacted and who managed to break out of the trap of recidivism. I start with my partner, Dr. Erin Boyce, whose story winds through 20 years, 5 drugs, 4 states and 3 felony arrests. We discuss religious trauma, addiction, role models, prison transports, check fraud, the lost art of gas-and-dash, and we zoom in on education as a way to escape the trap of prison. Support the show

This week is about the evolution of drugs and the role of big pharma (#Capitalism) in creating and exploding the war on drugs. From Cannabis to Marinol to Spice/K2...From coca leaves to cocaine to crack...From willow tree bark to Aspirin to Ibuprofen...From eucalyptus to amphetamine to methamphetamine to Adderall...From PCP to Ketamine...From tea to barbiturates to benzos to SSRIs to glutamate drugs...From beer and wine to spirits and liquor....Something capitalistic has been driving our addictions. This isn't natural. This week I get back to the roots of the show: drugs. I discuss the evolution of drugs via capitalism, and the reason the drugs we used to take decades (and centuries) ago were natural, and, as such, safer and less addictive than the drugs we usually take today. Those old-school, natural drugs are now hard to find, replaced by more potent, cheaper, synthetic chemicals that can be patented by big pharma then shoved down our throats. Cocaine replaced coca leaves only to be replaced itself by methamphetamine. Heroin replaced opium gum only to be replaced itself by fentanyl(s). Cannabis was replaced by...35% THC Cannabis in the early 2000s only to be replaced by synthetic cannabis (Spice, K2). Article with Jacob Carlock: Crafting Convict Criminologists: An Invitation to Join us in Prison available in The Prison Journal. Episode 112: The Opium WarsRead more about David Carrillo here: https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2024/04/11/david-carrillo-continues-to-teach-incarcarated-students-college-classes/Read more about the Returning Artists Guild (RAG) here: https://thereturningartistsguild.org/Read Captured Words/Free Thoughts here: https://clas.ucdenver.edu/communication/research-creative-work/captured-words-free-thoughtsDrop me an email at DrJunkieShow@gmail.com. Support the show

Why does everyone in the 2020s seem to have their own version of reality? And why does truth seem to be up for debate in every area? Marshall McLuhan explained why 50 years ago. This week I answer the question, "why don't you host commercials?" I also discuss the larger, related issues of capitalism, neoliberalism, and Marshall McLuhan's claim that the medium is the message as it relates to our current culture of post truth. Support the Show.

Email us at DrJunkieShow@gmail.comThis week I talk about Karl Marx's claim that religion is the opium of the masses. I also talk about Friedrich Engels's concept of exploitation by wage labor, Friedrich Hegel's dialectics, capitalism, globalization, and the religious values of different eras (and why they always align with economic values of that era). Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.This week I dive back into some philosophical theory related to why we are so prone to struggle with anxiety, addiction and alienation in today's world. Guy Debord wrote The Society of the Spectacle more than 50 years ago, and in it he explained the current state of so-called "Western Cultures" as having moved from the importance of being  to a culture where the importance is on having, and eventually, on to the importance being placed on appearance only (to appear to own something by snapping a photo is good enough).As a culture, we are now completely preoccupied with and focused on the spectacle, not the real. It's more important to change your Facebook banner to an LGBTQ+ flag on the right day to show your support than it is to support LGBTQ+ people in your heart. It's more important to be seen as having the perfect family or the perfect life than it is to actually build the perfect family or the perfect life. Some people drive $60k cars and live in crumbling homes. In today's cultural setting, a reputation for success requires the complete abandonment of one's personal identity in exchange for the stock characteristics that the audience wants in a performer — whether Marylin Manson actually drinks blook or Ozzy Osborn actually worships the devil doesn't matter. Only the spectacle of performance is valued.I also cover Marx's theory of capitalism increasing alienation, the Frankfurt School's and the Situationists' (many of the same people) work on how Marx's world of commodity fetishism expanded to spectacle fetishism (the appearance came to be more important than the real), and Debord's (and re-Marx's) concept of magic properties bestowed upon commodities if producers can manage to hide the actual process of manufacturing from the public. Before you listen to this episode, you might want to take a moment to listen to Macklemore's "Wings." on YouTube here, or anywhere you stream music. Check out the Nike commercial from that song on YouTube for a great example of recuperation (pt 2), and check out the corporate logo US flag for a great example of détournement (pt 2). Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.This week I dive back into some philosophical theory related to why we are so prone to struggle with anxiety, addiction and alienation in today's world. Guy Debord wrote The Society of the Spectacle more than 50 years ago, and in it he explained the current state of so-called "Western Cultures" as having moved from the importance of being  to a culture where the importance is on having, and eventually, on to the importance being placed on appearance only (to appear to own something by snapping a photo is good enough). As a culture, we are now completely preoccupied with and focused on the spectacle, not the real. It's more important to change your Facebook banner to an LGBTQ+ flag on the right day to show your support than it is to support LGBTQ+ people in your heart. It's more important to be seen as having the perfect family or the perfect life than it is to actually build the perfect family or the perfect life. Some people drive $60k cars and live in crumbling homes. In today's cultural setting, a reputation for success requires the complete abandonment of one's personal identity in exchange for the stock characteristics that the audience wants in a performer — whether Marylin Manson actually drinks blook or Ozzy Osborn actually worships the devil doesn't matter. Only the spectacle of performance is valued. I also cover Marx's theory of capitalism increasing alienation, the Frankfurt School's and the Situationists' (many of the same people) work on how Marx's world of commodity fetishism expanded to spectacle fetishism (the appearance came to be more important than the real), and Debord's (and re-Marx's) concept of magic properties bestowed upon commodities if producers can manage to hide the actual process of manufacturing from the public.  Before you listen to this episode, you might want to take a moment to listen to Macklemore's "Wings." on YouTube here, or anywhere you stream music. Check out the Nike commercial from that song on YouTube for a great example of recuperation (pt 2), and check out the corporate logo US flag for a great example of détournement (pt 2). Support the Show.

C. Dreams, Dr. Christina Perez's moniker while incarcerated, joins me today to talk about addiction, recovery, reentry, education, stigma, social movement, reappropriation, colorism, plus she shares her story of doing interviews (including for this show) on a contraband cell phone smuggled into her prison cell. Check out C. Dreams' work at Filter Magazine. You can also find her on Twitter/X @UnCagedCritique.Support the show

This week I revisit a topic I've discussed repeatedly on this show: the reported success rates of 12-Step programs like AA and NA. I talk about the reason these programs persist as the norm despite an odd lack of data to verify their success, and I walk through the reasons AA and other 12-Step programs are highly religious while almost always claiming (and appearing) not to be.  Read Cochrane's new(er) meta-analysis of 12-step success rates on their website.Read more about aging out of addiction in Zimburg's work. 14% - 31% of people who walk into a 12-Step meeting keep coming for at least 1 year.21% - 22% of people who stay in a 12-Step program for more than a year remain sober.5% - 8% of people who walk in a 12-Step meeting will remain sober for at least 1 year.Some studies show that those who try a 12-Step program actually have worse success rates than non-treatment groups. Support the show

This week I talk about the medication shortages across the United States. Drugs used to treat ADHD, chronic pain, and other conditions have been in short supply lately for reasons unexplained. Different groups have blamed the shortage on one anther: the manufacturers blame the DEA, while the DEA blames manufacturers. But as usual, the problem comes down to a design issue.  For more about Assent's issues with the DEA, check out the Reason article, "DEA Shuts Down Factory even as Adderall Shortage Persists." Support the show

This week I wrap up a multi-part discussion of Foucault's theories of panoptic power, institutional knowledge, and discourses used to endorse awful ideas and beliefs about drugs and drug users. I also talk about Michel Foucault's car accident while high on opium, the notion of panoptic power, Jeremy Bentham's panoptic prison, discourse, stigma and stereotype. Foucault audio at intro and outro from Century of the Self lecture series. Support the show

Captured Words/Free Thoughts is an annual, non-profit publication packed with art, poetry and prose inspired and written inside US prisons. Every year a group of volunteers records some of the submissions in audio form to share with the world. An online version of the full magazine (and all previous volumes) is here. If you or someone you know (in prison or out) would like a paper copy, contact me and I'll make sure to send one out (for free). You can reach us by mail at CW/FT, 1201 Larimer St, Suite 3014, Denver, CO, 80204. If you would like to record your loved one's Captured Words/Free Thoughts poems for next edition, contact me via at DrJunkieShow@gmail.com for more info. This episode includes the following:Intro: Ben Boyce"My Freedom Kite," by Monica Petrosian "What's in a Name?" by Gary K. Farlow"Pledge of Allegiance," by Gary K. Farlow"Nana," by Tanya Austin"Attempting Sobriety," by Dylan Lapointe (DJ) "To My Trans Brothers (My Incarcerated Word)," by H.L. Tapia  "Quiet Night," by Anthony Enis"Prison is not a Depository," by Abdullah Muhammad "Mr. Box," by Larry N. Stromberg "Methamphetamine," by Dylan Lapointe (DJ) "To Imprisonment," by Eric Perez"A Birthday in Prison," by Keith Pertusio "Prison World" by Larry N. Stromberg  "Bound," by Christian J. Weaver "Living are the Dead," by David Neff "A Better Way," by Todd Broxmeyer "No," by Eugene "Tsunami” Miller "The Beast in the Mirror," by David Zenquis "Incarcerated but Inspired," by David Richardson "My First Day on Death Row," by Anthony Enis "Black Boy Dark Child," by Daniel Mopkins "Can't Breathe," by Larry N. Stromberg "Pain," by Shawn Harris"Lockdown," by Gary K. Farlow "The Man Not Taken," by Christian Weaver "Convict Chronicles: An Ode to Time," by Leo Cardez "Loving a Convict," by Debbie Magee  "Meaningful," by Taveuan Williams "Finally," by  Manuel G. Sisneros Sr. "QUO VADIS?" by Troy Brownlow Outro: Meghan Cosgrove & Ben BoyceCover art painting of MLB pitcher Satchel Paige by Warren Worthington Support the show

If we wanted to design a culture from the ground up to maximize both the potential and severity of addiction, we would build it exactly like the United States today.  Once upon a time, humans received contentment and fulfilment from their work, and they often went home feeling connected to their communities and identified with the service or goods they offered for sale. But for the last hundred years we've steadily changed that. Today, 1 in 8 of us in the United States has worked at McDonalds, a job that might pay the bills, but certainly isn't showing anyone how much they are truly capable of doing or connecting them to a sense of identity related to their work. We just do it to get a paycheck. In this episode I will cover the various ways our medical, educational, employment, legal and political systems are all built to maximize addiction potential and severity, and to hide their tracks by blaming drugs and drug users for problems caused by the environment in which we life. Cocaine and heroin costs around $1 per gram to produce from coca leaves and opium poppies, respectively. Yet these substances will cost a consumer upwards of 50x that much on the streets.Find out more about behavioralist B.F. Skinner here. Read about his use of Operant Conditioning here.In Bruce Alexander's experiments, rats that were put in a toyless, friendless cages used 19 times more morphine than those placed in comfortable, familiar homes with other rats. For more about maximizing button-pressing by rewarding the button-presser randomly, in unexpected and unpredictable patters, check out this article.Support the show

This week I dive into neoliberalism and oligarchy, 2 systems the USA has repeatedly rejected despite their current resurgence of late. The war on drugs is part of a larger move to privatize public systems like medicine, post office services or policing, and to allow profiteering by rich folks who can step in to provide gear and services for these new markets once managed and paid for by the government. For more about Clarence Thomas 's grifts, see The Nation article here. Read more about the call for Clarence Thomas to excuse himself in Trump ballet case here. For more about 6 corporations controlling 90% of our media, see the short article here. More about Newt Gringrich's (and Frank Luntz's), "Language: A Mechanism of Control" here. For stats on wealth/income gains between 1944-2014, check out this article by Thom Hartmann. Support the show

Why do humans have such an odd fascination with criminals and outlaws? What happened to all the kings and queens who used to be in charge of everything...where did they go? Why? And what does any of this have to do with drugs?In this episode I pick up where I left off last time by introducing Michel Foucault's concept of panoptic power, which explains why now days we all self-discipline to conform to social regulations. The war on drugs thrives in spaces where most citizens are thoroughly convinced of the stereotypes that surround drug use: immorality, contagion, degradation, the "disease" of addiction. Today I explain how that cultural knowledge comes to exist, and perhaps how we might be able to disrupt and rewrite those scripts.   Support the show

Have you ever thought, "dang, I just got out of work and I already dread going back tomorrow!"? Most of us have, and in response we did something to make ourselves feel better, something to take the edge off: we treated ourselves to an ice cream cone or binge watched our favorite Netflix series. That's the norm of 21st Century capitalism. Today's episode is about America's drug problem, but I take a route through a number of related topics including capitalism, leisure time, the "culture industry" (a term coined by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer), and Marx's alienation.I also cover some theory from Friedrich Nietzsche, Theo Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Herbert Marcuse and Karl Marx. Intro from Office SpaceSupport the show

This episode is all about America's unhealthily relationships with work and drugs. We live in a world where we are increasingly distracted and secluded, and our daily schedules often consist of punching a clock and returning home. It's no wonder we feel so compelled to use drugs. We are torturing ourselves with capitalism. Benjamin Fong's book, Quick Fixes: Drugs in America from Prohibition to the 21st Century Binge, is available now. His other work is linked below on most pod-catchers."The Psychedelic Renaissance Is on the Verge of an Uneasy Enlightenment" in Jacobin.  "Monsters of the Brain, Images of the Deity: Psychology and Religion in the Eighteenth Century" in The Journal of Religion."Hans Loewald and the Death Drive" is in Psychoanalytic Psychology."On Critics and What's Real: Russell McCutcheon on Religious Experience" is in the Journal of American Academy of Religion. For more about eugeroics/nootropics like modafinil, check out the Vice article, "Taking the 'Smart Drug' Modafinil Made Me Love Work but Hate People"The Spectacle of Punishment and Dr. Junkie available at Amazon and B&N.Support the show

Colorado's state prison budget has grown by almost 1300% in the last 35 years; it's now more than a billion dollars-per-year. This week I talk to Christie Donner, founder of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition. We discuss the current state of prisons in Colorado and across the US, and we spend some time digging into a few specific bills currently being debated by Colorado Legislators, including Good Samaritan Laws, fentanyls, safe use sites, and  education in prison. We also discuss Pell Grants, the school-to-prison pipeline, negative press coverage, and the ongoing staff crisis in departments of corrections across the country, specifically in Colorado. You can watch the negative news coverage of La Vista Women's Prison Honor House on YouTube. You can hear Dean Williams entire interview on the With(in) podcast, season 1, episode 1. The DOC in crisis article Christie mentioned is available at ccjrc.org. The Spectacle of Punishment and Dr. Junkie available at Amazon and B&N.Support the show

This week my partner Dr. Erin Boyce joins me to talk about one of her areas of study, attachment theory. We discuss childhood development, identity formation, the important of strong attachments to parental figures, authenticity, depression, repression, and lots more.For more on Attachment Theory, check out Mary Ainsworth's work.For more on attachment, authenticity and addiction, check out Dr. Gabor Maté's work. The Spectacle of Punishment and Dr. Junkie available at Amazon and B&N.

This week I share a summary of my new book, The Spectacle of Punishment: Lessons from a Century of Prison Films. I discuss cinematic outlaws and lawmen, and I cover the three main prisons used in every movie: prison as a playground, prison as a paradox or prison as penance.  For more on Bill Yousman's work, check out his book Prime Time Prisons on US TV. Check out Ear Hustle and DU-PAI's With(In) Podcast for voices from inside US prisons. 

This week I follow the trail of the US War on Drugs from 1970-2020. I cover Reagan's Iran-Contra scandal, the CIA's importation of cocaine into low income communities, Freeway Ricky, crack-versus-powder sentencing disparities, fentanyl, xylazine, and the role of media in all of it.You can find links to citations in the episode descriptions of sampled audio.  The Spectacle of Punishment and Dr. Junkie available at Amazon and B&N.

This week I share part 2 of The War on Drugs: 1920-1970. If you prefer the video format with lots of images and videos, you can find it on YouTube at The Dr. Junkie Show channel. I cover Harry Anslinger, the origins of the war on drugs in the early 1900s, alcohol prohibition, stigmatization, and the recipe used by every politicians since to ramp the war up a bit more.The Spectacle of Punishment and Dr. Junkie available at Amazon and B&N.

This week I share lecture I recorded a few years ago in video format. If you prefer to watch the video, you can find it on YouTube here: The War on Drugs pt 1. I discuss the stereotypes that surrounded drugs prior to the 1900s, the ease with which addicted people could live normal lives, the medicalization of drugs, and the racism used to create and support the original drug laws in the United States (from California's ban on opium smoking in the late 1800s, to Maine's early prohibition of alcohol in the 1850s to the southern states' focus on cocaine and marijuana). The Spectacle of Punishment and Dr. Junkie available at Amazon and B&N.

This week I talk to Dr. Ashley Hamilton, director and founder of DU-Prison Arts Initiative. Dr. Hamilton's work has focused on using theater as a space of identity (re)formation, and she has become a force in Colorado DOC, spearheading the state's only prison newspaper, The Inside Report, the state's only prison radio station, Inside Wire, and a podcast devoted to rethinking incarceration called With(in). She also periodically directs plays inside prisons across the state. You can check out DU-Prison Arts Initiative's recent production of These Walls on YouTube. The Spectacle of Punishment: Lessons from a Century of Prison Films available here.

This episode features the annual performance of Captured Words/Free Thoughts: Art and Poetry Inspired Inside US Prisons, volume 19. This year we have a great lineup commentated by Meghan Cosgrove, Dr. Erin Boyce, and of course, me. To read complete editions of Captured Words/Free Thoughts, check out the CU-Denver Communication Dept. page.You can check out Javonte Evans' work at his Instagram pageSpecial thanks to Dr. Hamilton Bean for recording his father's poem. Thanks to my students in Communication 4040 Spring 2023 semester for recording many other poems. And of course, thanks to Meghan's sister, Sophie, who has a future in spoken word. For a free copy, or to contribute art, poetry or prose to our next edition, please email me at benjamin.boyce@ucdenver.edu, or snail mail me at Captured Words/Free Thoughts, 1201 Larimer St. Suite 3014, Denver, CO, 80204. Intro & Outro by Javonte Evans. All other music from Pixabay. 

Have you ever wanted to reduce or moderate your consumption of alcohol or other drugs, but you didn't know how to do it or where to go for help? Today I talk to the founder of the nonprofit support group HAMS, Kenneth Anderson. HAMS stands for Harm reduction, Abstinence, and Moderation Support. They are a coalition of drug and alcohol users who support one another through recovery on their own terms. Kenneth and I discuss 12-step programs, harm reduction, cultural issues with alcohol, the difference between booze and other drugs, the lack of treatment options for folks who want to moderate (not quit) their drug or alcohol use, and a lot more.  Additional links to Kenneth's  work:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09B78Z88Rhttps://www.amazon.com/How-Change-Your-Drinking-Reduction/dp/145383060Xhttps://play.google.com/books/reader?id=4zOAEAAAQBAJ&pg=GBS.PP1

This week I talk about synthetic cannabis, also known as Spice or K2. It hit the market in the late 1990s, and it was legal for many years before government officials both in the US and elsewhere passed new legislation banning it in all its forms.  Check out the 1982 article, "“Cannabimimetic Activity from CP-47, 497, a Derivative of 3-Phenylcyclohexanol" to read about the earliest synthetic cannabinoid on record. For more general information about Spice, check out the academic article, "Spice drugs are more than harmless herbal blends: A review of the pharmacology and toxicology of synthetic cannabinoids." For more on Marshall McLuhan's "The Medium is the Message," check out his work in Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. 

This episode features part 2 of a conversation with activist, author and academic C Dreams. We dig into some of the basic pathways to learning about God, finding spirituality, navigating holy books, avoiding self-deception, and avoiding our tendency as humans to avoid critical analysis of our valued beliefs or morals.To follow up on some of our topics, check out the following. For more about the historical journey of our current Biblical text, I suggest Bart Ehrman's Misquoting Jesus. For more about the connection between spirituality and recidivism, check out Said & Davidson's recent article in Justice Quarterly, "A Mixed Method Evaluation of the Role of Religion in Desistance and Reentry." Check out C. Dreams' work at Filter Magazine. You can also find her on Twitter @UnCagedCritique or the GoFundMe she is sponsoring. 

C. Dreams is back, and this time we got into all sorts of topics we missed the first time around. Today's episode is part 1 of 2. We talk about prison abolition, prison education, trans rights in prison, stigma, imposter syndrome, "I ain't shit" syndrome, patriarchy, Christianity, Faith, redemption, sex offender registries, identity and lots more.  Check out C. Dreams' work at Filter Magazine. You can also find her on Twitter @UnCagedCritique or the GoFundMe she is sponsoring. 

In this episode I discuss the reason for the podcast, the choice of the name Dr. Junkie, and the purpose of teaching college classes inside prisons. I also talk about sigma, capitalism, incentivization, addiction, identity and opportunity. For more on drug laws around the world, check out my article in Filter Magazine  called "Our Pathway to the Legal Regulation of All Drugs," or Episode 102 of this podcast, "What It's Like in Places Where Drugs are Legal." For more about placebo effects (SSRIs, 12-step meetings, etc.) you can check out Episode 113 of this podcast, "Placebo Effect." To learn about the history of 12-step programs (particularly AA), check out Episode 119: "Alcohol, 12-Step Programs, and Bill Wilson on LSD." Check out my new book about the impact of prison movies on our cultural attitude toward incarceration: The Spectacle of Punishment: Lessons from a Century of Prison Films. 

This week I sit down with my fellow professor in the college education in prison program at CU-Denver. We talk about our experience as prison educators, the reasons for college in prison, the benefits of education as an identity-building tool, and lots more. To read published work from our incarcerated students, check out the Westword Article, "Educating Incarcerated People: An Easy Choice," or check out "In Between the Sword and the Pen" in the Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice. The article Meghan mentioned (by me) about pushups in prison is "I did 340 Pushups to Prepare for the TV Version of Prison, Then I got There" in The Marshall Project. You can watch the Channel 9 news story talking shit about treating those in prisons like humans on YouTube, "Inmates drop female staffer into dunk tank during prison fundraiser." Check out my new book, The Spectacle of Punishment: Lessons from a Century of Prison Films wherever you buy books. You might also enjoy the open sources article I recently published about prison films called "Lessons from Shawshank: Outlaws, Lawmen and the Spectacle of Punishment." Check out the latest edition of Captured Words/Free Thoughts for a collection of art, poetry and academia from inside US prisons. 

Today I revisit one of my favorite topics: opioids. The ongoing overdose crisis is due to the Iron Law of Prohibition, which states that any time a substance is illegal, the most potent form of it will become the most common form. Fentanyl replaced heroin because it is more potent, and therefore easier to smuggle. But that dynamic creates a lot of avoidable problems for drug users.  For more about opioids in the brain and body, check out the PBS article and video, "How A Brain Gets Hooked on Opioids."  You can find my article "Our Pathway to the Legal Regulation of All Drugs" on Filter. You can listen to episode 102 for more about places where drugs are legal now.

This week I talk 12-steps programs and the history of alcohol. The self-reported success rate of AA is 5%-8%. The average spontaneous recovery rate for addiction is 3.7%-18% (depending on the study). That means the big claims made by 12-steppers and tough-lovers are based on shaky evidence at best. For more information about success rates of AA and other 12-step programs, avoid for-profit research and stick with peer reviewed journals or metanalyses of peer reviewed journals. I recommend Dodes & Dodes book The Sober Truth.  Saturday Evening Post article from 1941. For more about Jeffery Brandsma's study that showed AA participants fair worse than other options for treatment, see his article, "Outpatient Treatment of Alcoholism: A Review and Comparative Study."Read the infamous 2006 Cochrane Study that showed AA's "success" rates.