The news can be hard to keep up with, but sometimes I want to spend a bit more time with a story that's made headlines.

That's why I produce CBC's Understood podcast. We've covered the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried,

the scandals surrounding Canada's very own porn hub, the controversial leader of India.

Our most recent series is about the bizarre alchemy that made Celine Dion the enduring star that she is.

Each season of Understood is a short, four-episode immersive experience with a host who knows the story best.

Follow so you never miss a season.

This is a CBC podcast.

Hi there. I'm Jeff Turner. I'm the host and creator of the series On Drugs that first

launched in 2017. We covered a lot of ground over two seasons, but there are still so many

stories to tell. So I'm excited to share that On Drugs is back for a third season, and this time it's personal.

We're digging deeper than ever into the stories we tell about drugs, including the ones we rarely confront.

This season challenges 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. From the allure of

psychedelic therapy to the cultural stigmas around safe supply, to the acceptance of certain

drugs over others, on drugs asks the question, what are drugs teaching us

about what it means to be human? In this first episode, I confront my own rocky relationship

with alcohol, using it as a lens to question the nature of desire, drive, and what we

truly seek from life.

Have a listen.

The first time I ever really tried alcohol, I was 14.

I don't remember exactly how the evening came to be, but I was with my best friend, Mike, and we somehow got invited to hang out with some of my older sister's friends.

One of them, Jane, lived a few blocks away, and her parents were out of town, and she

...