You ever wonder if entire wars were fought by people who hadn’t slept in three days and thought that was a great idea? Cool. Because the history of drugs in war is basically that… but worse. Much worse.
This week on Stupiracy - presented by CARSTAR - we dig into the history of drugs in war, where soldiers weren’t just brave—they were absolutely, chemically committed. Ancient Greeks were out here sipping opium wine like it’s a post-battle nightcap. Vikings? Possibly eating mushrooms and screaming their way into legend. No armor. No fear. Just vibes and very questionable decision-making.
Then it escalates—fast.
Zulu warriors pregame with cannabis and herbal cocktails before handing the British a historic loss. Napoleon’s troops discover hashish and immediately become the least focused army in Europe. Shocking. Truly shocking.
And then we hit the industrial era, where this stops being quirky weird history and turns into full-blown “who approved this?” energy.
World War I hands out cocaine pills like battlefield snacks. World War II cranks it to eleven with meth-fueled blitzkrieg, “tank chocolate,” and kamikaze pilots flying on stimulants straight into unbelievable historical events. Entire military strategies were running on zero sleep and terrible ideas.
This is history gone wrong, powered by chemistry.
But here’s where it gets weird in a different way. The same types of substances from the dark history of drugs in war are now being studied to treat PTSD in veterans. So we’ve gone from “take this to fight harder” to “take this to survive what you just went through.”
Full circle. Horrifying. Kind of hopeful. Still extremely weird.
We’re talking Viking berserkers on mushrooms, Zulu warriors on cannabis, cocaine in World War I, meth fueled World War II soldiers, and the full unhinged history of drugs in war that somehow is all real.
Stupiracy is presented by CARSTAR – your auto body repair experts – locally owned with a nationwide guarantee.
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