The way that drugs, especially neurotransmitters such as Xanax, are characterized and stigmatized has changed in A Scanner Darkly, a 1977 novel, compared to Taipei, a 2013 one. In this almost 50-year difference, these novels reflect the current view of drugs at the time they were written, but also give a unique look into just how quickly man’s perception of drugs has been altered. In Taipei by Tao Lin and A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick, the drugs taken in the novels, whether the several “blockbuster drugs” such as Adderall and MDMA in Taipei or cannabis and the fictional “Substance D” in A Scanner Darkly, create a distancing effect from others as well as the user themselves. In contrast, the drug “Substance D” is so heavily regarded as …show more content…
When Paul sits in a café surrounded by other people, he cannot help but feel the weight of this upon him: “Paul’s main feeling… in a café with six to eight strangers, staring at his hands wrapped tightly around his teacup, was an excruciating combination of social anxiety and, as the MDMA stopped working, disintegrating functioning…” (Lin 122). Without the drug’s effects, he begins to feel more anxious and disconnected from the people that share the space with him. Although he does not interact with any of them, these intense, anxious feelings overwhelm him nonetheless. In a way, the drugs Paul takes make him feel more “human”, or at least be able to somewhat connect with the people around …show more content…
Although in both novels the drugs are taken at about the same rate by the characters, Substance D has a much more visibly negative effect on the user, therefore making it the drug that agents seek to eliminate. When Bob Arctor is undercover as Fred during the speech he gives at the “Gentlemen of the Anaheim Lions Club”, he speaks on the destructiveness of the drug on people: “The identity of the purveyors of the poisons concocted of brain-destructive filth shot daily, orally taken daily, smoked daily by several million men and women--or rather, that were once men and women-- is gradually being unraveled” (14). Calling the drugs “poisons”, “filth”, and “brain-destructive”, the blame is turned on the “purveyors” or rather large companies that manufacture and distribute the drugs rather than the users or even low-level dealers. Regardless, the drug itself is still criminalized and every character in the novel knows the deadly effects it could have on their brain and
Bruce K. Alexander’s essay “Reframing Canada’s ‘Drug Problem’” is about shifting the focus from intervention to prevention. Alexander explains that in Canada there have been three major waves of drug intervention: “Criminal prosecution and intensive anti-drug” (225), “medicinal and psychological treatment” (225), and the ‘“harm reduction’ techniques” (225) being the most resent. The “’harm reduction’” (225) consisted of: clean injectable heroin, clean needles, methadone, and housing for addicts. Although each of the methods is devoted and knowledgeable, they have done little to decrease the deaths or suppress the unhappiness. While clean heroin did work well few addicts quit using and many found
Throughout David Sheff’s book, he incorporates detailed diction in describing his environment, past, and the people around him as to allow the reader to be able to imagine what he had seen during this course of his life. As the father of a drug addict, Sheff had also had his own experience with drugs, in which he describes this experience with words and phrases such as “I heard cacophonous music like a calliope”, “[The brain’s neurotransmitters flood with dopamine], which spray like bullets from a gangster’s gun” and “I felt
In “The Ascent” Ron Rash introduces us to a child who is brought up by cocaine addicts name Jared. Jared ventures out into the Great Smokey Mountains National Park to escape his sad home life and on his little adventure Jared finds the lost plane authorities had been looking for, for months. Upon leaving Jared takes the ring from the woman on the plan and returns home where he finds that his parents have already run out of drugs. His father takes the ring Jared had found and then sales the ring for money. His surroundings along with foreshadowing suggests Jared will have to make a life changing decision, but his youth suggests he is too naïve to come to such a realization.
He uses the drug as an excuse to escape his life so he does not have to communicate with others.
Marijuana also known as weed, is a green mixture of dry, shredded leaves and flowers of a hemp plant known as Cannabis sativa. Research has shown that marijuana has been around since the 1920s. People use marijuana because of the after affects. Studies have shown marijuana makes you feel delightful, it increases satisfaction while smoking, if you’re stressed, after smoking the marijuana you’ll be on cloud nine and the stress will no longer be present. Society has influenced people to smoke marijuana more each day. After interviewing a series of marijuana users, they’ve told me that marijuana is a safe, harmless drug, that is used for meditation. In order to smoke the marijuana, you’ll use some form of paper to roll it up with.
... the drug but have made a big controversy about not using the drug at all. Causing a big dramatic scene that just makes the problem even worse for the person involved in the situation, though problems can’t always be solved to a certain extent. It’s the people trying to help change the problem and not promote people to the Hall of Shame.
I do not believe this world will ever be completely free. People living on this planet would take advantage and make this beautiful place a complete shit hole. Gore Vidal introduces the topic of giving humans the freedom to take any single drug they want. He tells us that we should label these drugs with the side effects and allow anyone to take them at their own risk. His whole point is to let people in our society do what they want with their own body. Flannery O’Connor takes on the subject of making the younger generation of students learn the about the past. She is upset at the fact that this generation of students are only interested in learning about what is now and are uninterested in learning about the past. O’Connor truly believes
Schrof, Joannie M. "Pumped Up." U.S. News and World Report 1 June 1992: 54+. SIRS "Drugs", vol. 5, article 52.
In a world where mental illnesses like PTSD, depression, and autism are becoming more and more prevalent, MDMA, or “Ecstasy” is just the mental boost that someone needs and is illegally being dealt to patients while in therapy or counseling. The theory is that MDMA can raise “happiness levels” by forcing the brain to release serotonin and dopamine at the same time, resulting in intense euphoria and “ego softening” (Errowid). Some other side effects of MDMA can include feelings of inner peace, increase in social bonding, and an increase in ability to communicate. Some of the less positive side effects can be eye wiggling, increased heart rate, and dehydration. All of which, are quite manageable and not too noticeable. Sufferers of social anxiety and depression could greatly benefit from MDMA, as it can break down inner boundaries and increase the need to be around other people. A grou...
Illicit drug use and the debate surrounding the various legal options available to the government in an effort to curtail it is nothing new to America. Since the enactment of the Harrison Narcotic Act in 1914 (Erowid) the public has struggled with how to effectively deal with this phenomena, from catching individual users to deciding what to do with those who are convicted (DEA). Complicating the issue further is the ever-expanding list of substances available for abuse. Some are concocted in basements or bathtubs by drug addicts themselves, some in the labs of multinational pharmaceutical companies, and still others are just old compounds waiting for society to discover them.
“[The war on drugs] has created a multibillion-dollar black market, enriched organized crime groups and promoted the corruption of government officials throughout the world,” noted Eric Schlosser in his essay, “A People’s Democratic Platform”, which presents a case for decriminalizing controlled substances. Government policies regarding drugs are more focused towards illegalization rather than revitalization. Schlosser identifies a few of the crippling side effects of the current drug policy put in place by the Richard Nixon administration in the 1970s to prohibit drug use and the violence and destruction that ensue from it (Schlosser 3). Ironically, not only is drug use as prevalent as ever, drug-related crime has also become a staple of our society. In fact, the policy of the criminalization of drugs has fostered a steady increase in crime over the past several decades. This research will aim to critically analyze the impact of government statutes regarding drugs on the society as a whole.
Gerdes, Louise I., ed. At Issue: Legalizing Drugs. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc. 2001. Print.
...f actual reality. They are no longer able to face day to day activities without having that drug in their life.
The War on Drugs is a lost cause. The United States has spent hundreds of billions of dollars and lost thousands of lives. The result is any adult or child with a couple measly dollars can purchase any existing illegal drug almost anywhere in the country (Greer 6/24/98). The emergence of a new designer drug (a combination of two existing drugs) "ecstasy," which is the most common street term for the illicit drug MDMA (+/-3,4Methylenedioxymethamphetamine), has brought a fatal blow to the War on Drugs. The "love drug," as MDMA is sometimes referred to, has spread from its previously isolated dwellings within the darkness of the "rave" scene (a rave is an all-night illicit dance party), into high schools across the United States and Canada. "Police say the manufacture, smuggling, and availability of ecstasy are booming" (Oh 4/24/00). The tremendous increase of ecstasy use is due to its escalating social acceptability, the perceived safety of the drug, and the influence of peer testimonies. This dramatic proliferation of the use of "X" is something that urgently needs to be addressed.
Drug use and abuse is as old as mankind itself. Human beings have always had a desire to eat or drink substances that make them feel relaxed, stimulated, or euphoric. Humans have used drugs of one sort or another for thousands of years. Wine was used at least from the time of the early Egyptians; narcotics from 4000 B.C.; and medicinal use of marijuana has been dated to 2737 BC in China.