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Superman is far stronger than the common man in his physique, but what about in his psyche?

Today is International Day Against Drug Abuse, and as we know it is quite hard for a common person to conquer the addiction by his/her own will. So I'm curious:

  1. Can Superman be affected by drugs, such as heroin?

  2. If yes, can Superman be addicted to drugs?

  3. If yes, does Superman have a sufficiently strong will to conquer the horrible addiction by himself?

Update

By Thaddeus' answer in this question we know that Pre-Crisis Superman was immune to narcotics when be under a yellow sun. However, under a red sun, he appeared to be Human in all the ways that mattered. So whenever under a red sun, what's the answer of these three questions above?

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    How do you administer a drug to him?
    – ThePopMachine
    Commented Jun 26, 2013 at 16:05
  • @ThePopMachine Via digestive system, respiratory system, or circulatory system.
    – Popopo
    Commented Jun 26, 2013 at 16:12
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    Worth pointing out that even when he was 'dead' from Doomsday, Superman's body was still invulnerable enough that it bent a scalpel in half when they tried to do an autopsy. This was after he took an all-day beating that made him vulnerable enough to nearly die.
    – Jeff
    Commented Jun 26, 2013 at 17:44
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    superman can get drunk, I don't see why he can't get high.
    – z -
    Commented Jun 26, 2013 at 18:28
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    Do not read without brain bleach available. Superman III had Superman affected by an artificial almost-Kryptonite that contained cigarette tar (in place of an unknown component). This influenced his behavior. @Monty129 This might be what yx was referring to; Superman appeared to get drunk in that movie.
    – user11683
    Commented Jun 26, 2013 at 21:44

2 Answers 2

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I'm quoting Thaddeus in the question you linked :

Under a red sun, he appeared to be Human in all the ways that mattered.

Thus, the answers :

  1. He could be affected by any drugs.
  2. He could be addicted to any drugs.
  3. You say it is "quite hard for a common person to conquer the addiction by his/her own will". Superman is no common person. So I guess he could, even if it would be hard.

Not really much more to say, since the details are in the question you linked. Maybe one more thing : if Superman was addicted to a drug under a red sun, I suppose as soon as he would get under a yellow one, the addiction (chemical dependency) and effects of the drug would fade instantly.

EDIT after the comments : I really think he would instantly lose the psychological addiction too. Drug is not like a gambling problem. There should be a question about this kind of psychological addiction though :D. So, the addiction to drug stems from chemical processes. Those processes would fade. And Supe wouldn't be able to get those effects again. Smoking or injecting something (provided you manage to inject him something...) would have the same (if not less) effect than a glass of water on a human... I'm not that fluent in english so I don't understand in the Wikipedia article if Cold Turkey has biological or psychological origins. Feel free to edit.

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  • That's not how addiction works. That's essentially the same as saying that, if Superman developed a gambling problem or sex addiction under the red sun, he'd instantly lose interest in sex or gambling under a yellow sun.
    – Lèse majesté
    Commented Jun 27, 2013 at 16:08
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    @Lèsemajesté perhaps "Chemical dependency" would be a better term than "addiction" in that case
    – Monty129
    Commented Jun 27, 2013 at 16:25
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    He would lose the physical chemical dependency but any psychological effects would have to be dealt with and probably "cold turkey" at that because he would no longer be able to be affected by the drug once he returned to a yellow sun.
    – Thaddeus Howze
    Commented Jun 27, 2013 at 16:40
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Kryptonians (Superman's race) are not human beings despite their phenotypes and the years of continuity and plot errors created by DC Comics. There basic physiology is completely different than that of human beings in so many ways that it is only due to the need to make Superman appear to be human that he does There is no reason to suspect that chemical compounds derived from Earth plants or created in laboratories would have any effect upon hi, Or they may be exceeding lethal as his body not not possess any of the defenses which humans have.

The most honest answer would be to say that it would depend largely upon when the Superman story was written and who wrote it. If it was a 1930-1960s Superman (or as was pointed out in a comment above the Superman from Superman III) it may be possible for him to be affected by the ingestion of narcotics and become addicted. If, however, it is the energy-absorbing Superman from the early 1980s, forward, then it seems unlikely to occur as this being is so clearly distinct from humanity that his resemblance to mankind is the only "human" thing about him.

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