Of Alcohol, Opium and Cannabis

by Rebecca Bynum (July 2006)

  

 

We know that many of the consequences of abusing alcohol are more tragic than that of other drugs, but authorities seem to be more focused on less dangerous drugs than this deadly but very legal one.

Romancing Opiates, the question most startling to me is why are heroin addicts treated with such overwhelming official solicitude, not expected to endure the slightest discomfort, are prescribed a synthetic substitutes so as to avoid relatively mild symptoms of withdrawal, and by being viewed as passive victims of addiction, are absolved of all moral culpability for their habits and their consequences, while alcoholics, on the other hand, are often forced to endure pain and suffering even unto death with no pharmacological, or sociological aid whatsoever.

In our modern world, lies abound and have currency. Social groupings from the family on up become centered on common assent to lies of varying degrees. And when we assent to a lie, then that lie must be defended from the truth and it is this very defense that becomes the source of group cohesion. Those having the audacity to point out the truth thereby endanger the cohesion of the group and are variously ostracized, expelled, or in the case of the Big Lie of Islam, summarily killed.

De Quincey to Burroughs has become assumed to be so exceedingly excruciating as to serve as the great excuse for all manner of immorality and criminality on the part of heroin addicts in a manner mere alcoholism does not. And yet, withdrawal from alcohol is far more dangerous and is often actually lethal whereas heroin withdrawal, as shown convincingly in Dalrymple’s book, is nothing more serious than a bout of the flu, the histrionics of self-serving addicts notwithstanding. 

Another aunt, who was a quiet and literate alcoholic, locked herself out of her house while looking for her cat in midwinter, tried to climb in through a window, fell, and froze to death in the snow. We found her body the next morning.

But as I have said, this policy of authoritarian concern apparently only pertains to heroin addicts. Alcoholics are on their own. Contrasting these two attitudes Dalrymple writes:

As we have seen, heroin addicts are liberally prescribed methadone to help them withdraw from heroin, so what is methadone? According to Dalrymple:

Methadone, unlike cannabis, is an extremely dangerous drug. Again we turn to Dalrymple:

New research in THC shows the substance actually slows the advance of atherosclerosis and stimulates neurogenesis, the process by which the brain gives birth to new nerve cells, in addition to its well-known properties of reducing nausea and relieving pain. But, to my knowledge, there has been only one study involving one patient specifically using marijuana as a treatment to alcoholism. Dr. Tod H. Mukuriya ends this study with these words:

Big Brother knows best. Only he may decide who is deserving of what relief and when.

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