Blitzed - 04/06/21

 Hello Sober Citizens, 

Book 23: Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany (9/10)

Premise: Heroine, Cocaine, Vitamin, and Meth use in Nazi Occupied Germany. 

This book could be pretty easily broken into two main themes. First, drug use for the citizens and soldiers of Nazi Germany, and Second, the health and drug use of Hitler. Both very well mixed together but I am going to separate them. 

Citizen and Soldiers. So during the start of the second world war Germany was cut off from many of it's natural supplies and provinces to get normal drugs and medicines. So they went full mad scientist. Creating syncretic drugs. Cocaine and Heroine take a small part in this book, but are generally just prescribed medications, with the Nazi stance that being addicted to something made you 'less than'. However, especially for soldiers there was a wonderful drug given to them called Meth. This allowed the soldiers to stay up for days on end and fight with a fury that the allies could not match. Millions upon millions of doses were sent to the front lines to help keep the soldiers on full alert and help them 'heal' faster. This was often given to them in the form a chocolate bar or in pills. Near the end of the war the Nazi scientists were creating and testing new combinations of drugs to see if they could create even stronger variations to help their soldiers continue fighting in a losing war. 

Hilter. Hitler was very concerned about his health and met a doctor who through various concoctions would give him vitamins to help alleviate his aliments. However as the stress of war started to ware on him he needed more and more to keep him feeling healthy. Eventually compound X, presumably anything Hilter's doctor didn't want to write down, was given to Hilter on a more common basis. Near the end of the war it is presumed that Hitler was on at least meth if not cocaine or other drugs as well. 

This book is hard to put down and a very interesting look into a person that is still internationally known. While it's obvious many of Hitler's decisions were not affected by drugs early in the war, it's still interesting to consider how it affected him towards the end. Like many non-fictions books, take this with a pinch of salt. The author does have the novelist sense of drama which occasionally leaks onto the pages. 

So always make sure you read the ingredients before eating the chocolate, 

and remember dear readers, Stay Vivid.