The Cycle Of Chemical Dependency

During my career I have taken more than a few photographs similar to this one, a deceased drug addict. She died on her face and was rolled over hours after her death. The purple discoloration is post mortem lividity where the blood pooled once her heart stopped beating. Her name was Rachel Whitear. She was 21 years old.

From bad to worse to bad again - Opium, Morphine, Heroin, Methadone. The best medical science can do for the addict is substitute one bloody crutch for another. And when one crutch turns out to be a disaster, create another one.

In 1895, the German drug company Bayer marketed diacetylmorphine as an over the counter drug under the trademark name Heroin. The name was derived from the Greek word "Heros" because of its perceived "heroic" effects upon a user. It was chiefly developed as a morphine substitute for cough suppressants that did not have morphine's addictive side-effects. Morphine at the time was a popular recreational drug, and Bayer wished to find a similar but non-addictive substitute to market. However, contrary to Bayer's advertising as a "non-addictive morphine substitute," Heroin would soon have one of the highest rates of dependence amongst its users.

In the final analysis, if the addict cannot remain drug free on his own, let him suffer the consequences. Bring a halt to the endless cycle of drug use, treatment, relapse, treatment, relapse... Not only do we have to pay for their treatment, now we must give them decent jobs on top of it or face possible federal prosecution under a ridiculous law.



Nothing beats treating addicts as an endangered species - no wonder we have so many.



Last year, "Vicar Ψ" , ThebloggerformerlyknownasNickieGoomba, posted an article written by a NY reporter about heroin addiction and how the Big Apple works to address this scourge here. Revisit it if you will.