Food Junkies Podcast Episode 83: David Courtwright
David Courtwright specializes in drug history. He also writes about violence, political and policy history, aviation, and frontier environments. He has taught medical, U.S., and world history at the University of North Florida, where he is presidential professor emeritus in the Department of History.
Courtwright has published influential books on drug use and drug policy, both in American and world history; the social problems of frontier environments on the land and in the air; and the culture war that roiled American politics during and after the 1960s. Whether it is about drugs, violence, aerospace, or cultural politics, his research is concerned with power, policy, and social structure. His ambition is to identify what drives fundamental changes in modern social and political history.
Courtwright's teaching and research have been recognized by the John A. Delaney Presidential Professorship, the UNF Distinguished Professor Award, five teaching awards, the College on Problems of Drug Dependence Media Award, and fellowships from the American Historical Association, NASA, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, including a 2016-2017 NEH Public Scholar Award.
In this episode:
Personal – how did Dr. Courtwright get into the history of addiction
Limbic Capitalism and pleasure circuitry
What is the food industry?
Digital Addiction
Activism & Awareness of Addiction
Sugar taxes and public policy
Dr. Courtwright’s latest book: The Age of Addiction – How Bad Habits Became Big Business
Consumerist Dystopia
Harm Reduction
Solutions – graffiti campaigns, public health notices, clever propaganda, class action suits
What’s next?
Signature Question
Find Dr. Courtwright:
Website: https://davidcourtwright.domains.unf.edu/
Books
The Age of Addiction https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674737372
No Right Turn https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?recid=30104
Sky As Frontier https://www.tamupress.com/search-results/?keyword=Sky-as-Frontier
Forces of Habit https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674010031
Dark Paradise https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674005853
Violent Land https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674278714
Addicts Who Survived https://www.amazon.com/Addicts-Who-Survived-History-Narcotic/dp/1572339373/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378394255&sr=1-7
The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede the professional relationship and direction of your healthcare provider. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.