What is addiction? Should it only include alcoholism and drug addiction, or are we also addicted to gambling, sex, food, work, smartphones, and even love? Carl Eric Fischer knows this ancient disease particularly well—as both a psychiatrist and a patient. For ten years, he researched and wrote this book, examining the multifaceted history of addiction—medical, political, philosophical, cultural, and religious. Fischer set out to not only examine all possible medications and treatments but also to understand why a disease that has touched the lives of millions of people still evokes condemnation and misunderstanding. How do we fall into the trap of addiction, and why is it so difficult to escape it, even in the face of death? Is it even possible to eradicate it? And what in our bodies resists recovery? One thing is clear: the path to recovery must begin with compassion. After all, only compassion will allow us to shift the focus from the disease to its victims and understand how to help them.