Why do some people need a cup of coffee first thing in the morning? Can a little bit of alcohol be good for you? Do you become addicted to heroin the first time you take it? In her first book Say Why to Drugs, Suzi Gage investigates these and other questions around recreational drugs from alcohol to LSD. Based on her popular podcast also called Say Why to Drugs, Gage delves into the latest research on different drugs’ effects, uncovering everything we know and don’t yet know about them.

Find out what we thought about the book, listen to an excerpt, and hear from Gage herself as she talks to us about the strangest myths around drug use and what it was like to convert her podcast into a book.

You can also read the full review of Say Why to Drugs here.

Next month, we’ll be sitting down to ponder Ingredients: the strange chemistry of what we put in us and on us, by George Zaidan. If you’ve ever wondered why different things have a certain effect on our skin, this book could prove enlightening.

If you, dear listener, have any thoughts on Say Why to Drugs or know of a book you would like us to discuss in an upcoming book club, let us know in the comments below or tweet at us @ChemistryWorld.