A classic of addictology: the Seneca’s 83rd letter to Lucilius

Seneca’s 83rd letter to Lucilius is a classic of addictology, especially because the philosopher clearly points out the difference between acute drunkenness and its consequences on the one hand and hand being a drunkard, an inveterate drinker on the other. Reading this text highlights the parallels and the differences between the discourses of ancient philosophy and our current conceptions of addiction. Stoic discourses on the dangers of the passions foreshadow our preventive discourses, but second-nature considerations of habit do not announce the perception of dependence as a disease.