Trainspotting Friendship Quotes

Irvine Welsh’s novel Trainspotting centres on Mark Renton and his group of friends, who are drug addicts living in 1980s Scotland, and follows their misadventures as their lives begin to deteriorate. While the detrimental effects of heroin and other drugs are clearly displayed, the negative effects of their unhealthy friendships are less obvious but equally toxic. Friendship in Trainspotting is a destructive force because it is corrupted by selfishness; it becomes an addiction which mirrors that of drug abuse.

For the characters in Trainspotting, the positive aspects of their friendships have been lost and replaced by drug use. Renton, Sick Boy, Spud, and Begbie have been friends a long time, having gone to school together. They once liked,

trusted, and respected each other, showing components of a healthy friendship, but now only enjoy each other’s company when using drugs, their only connection. Sick Boy and Renton, for example, have been friends since childhood, but “They were always slagging each other off. Generally if one said sugar, the other said shite.” (Welsh, Irvine. Trainspotting. Vintage. London, 1993. 55) Their relationship is now competitive and characterized by frequent arguments and resentment. Drug use has created detachment within a once strong group of friends. Sick Boy observes, “‘We are all acquaintances now.’ It seems tae go beyond our personal junk circumstances; a brilliant metaphor for our times.” (Welsh, 13) Drug addiction has separated the characters from their friends, so that they can no longer connect as they once did. When describing his drug addiction, Renton says, “Ye cannae turn yir back on [heroin] sae easy. It willnae let ye.” (Welsh, 116) This description makes heroin addiction sound like a relationship. Drugs become the only thing the characters enjoy and respect, and the only relationship they care about, effectively replacing the need for real friends.
It is the compulsive selfishness created by his drug addiction which destroys Renton’s relationships and ability to connect with others. Renton has lost interest in others and is only concerned with himself and his heroin habit. The novel describes this self-centred attitude: “he can always find something hideous in the most gorgeous individual. By focusing on that isolated ugly part, he can then mentally nullify their beauty. On the other hand, his own ugly bits don’t bother him because he’s used to them, and in any case, can’t see them.” (Welsh, 167) This egotism and inability to appreciate others makes it difficult for Renton to connect with others, because he does not respect them. The best example of his selfishness occurs following the death of his friend Lesley’s baby, when Renton states, “Lesley comes first, eftir me. That goes without saying,” (Welsh, 72). Despite wanting to be empathetic, his need for drugs overpowers his compassion. Renton’s egocentric attitude alienates him, to the extent that he declares, “Ah’m surrounded by the cunts thit ur closest tae us; but ah’ve nivir felt so alone,” (Welsh, 219). Heroin addiction causes Renton to be so absorbed with himself that he is unable to appreciate friends and is left feeling only contempt for them.
Similarly, selfishness isolates Sick Boy from his friends, so that he believes friends are unnecessary and useless. Sick Boy has a superiority complex; his belief that he is better than his friends helps him cope with the suffering addiction and the death of his baby has created. Sick Boy claims “Mates are a waste of fucking time. They are always ready to drag you down tae their level of social, sexual, and intellectual mediocrity.” (Welsh, 36) Due to these feelings of superiority, Sick Boy has no qualms about abandoning his friends if it is to his benefit. During their drug sale scheme, Sick Boy, worried the police will find them, states “If that happens, these cunts can go down alone,” (Welsh, 409) displaying his ruthless selfishness and lack of devotion. His only priority is his own well-being, and he believes “It’s me, me, fucking ME, Simon David Williamson, NUMERO FUCKING UNO, versus the world.” (Welsh, 38) By putting himself above his peers, Sick Boy cannot experience the trust and respect of healthy relationships, and only uses his friends as a means to benefit himself.
Likewise, Begbie’s friendships are entirely based on selfish motivations.

None of Begbie’s friends actually like him, no does he appreciate any of them; the friendships are phony and only exist for selfish purposes. His friends use Begbie for protection and status, as Begbie has a reputation for being tough. Renton describes the lies he and his friends create to justify and glorify Begbie’s extreme violence as “just another way of building Begbie’s status as somebody not to mess with, and their own, indirectly, through their association with him.” (Welsh, 430) They remain "friends" with Begbie solely for personal benefit. Begbie, in turn, uses his friends to gain power by taking advantage of their fear of him. Renton says “Begbie’s sense ay humour is solely activated at the misfortunes, setbacks, and weaknesses ay others, usually his friends,” (Welsh, 106) which shows that Begbie takes pleasure from having power over others and feels no empathy for his friends. Similarly, the stories his friends make up to elevate his status boost Begbie’s ego. Therefore, the relationship between Begbie and his friends is mutually beneficial but lacks the empathy and respect which would characterize it as real

friendship.
Though they are corrupt and spurious, these self-serving friendships become addictions with destructive effects, similar to the drug addictions the characters suffer.

There is a gang mentality within the group, which preaches that they never betray their friends, despite the fact that each individual only cares about his own well-being. This rule is enforced by those with power over the group, who personally benefit from keeping their group together. This includes Begbie and the White Swan, their heroin dealer, who declares “The White Swan disnae fuck ower his mates. Golden rule number one.” (Welsh, 391) As a result, this friendship, like drug addiction, is difficult to escape. For example, Begbie becomes furious when Sick Boy does return from France for their friend Matty’s funeral, shouting “Fucking Sick Boy should’ve been here! Matty wis his fuckin mate.” (Welsh, 370) Begbie’s hold on the group makes it impossible to leave because it might provoke him to punish them. The group is also difficult to quit because of the addictive power it offers. Renton says “Begbie is like junk, a habit,” (Welsh, 107) referring to the power which Begbie’s, and in fact the whole group’s, tough status provides. Yet, like drugs, these unhealthy friendships have destructive effects. Surrounded by friends who indulge in drug abuse and crime, it is almost impossible for the characters to prevent themselves from following suit. This group effect is best seen in the character of Spud, as Renton

describes “Spud, as always, had gone along for the ride.” (Welsh, 410) Spud is frequently put into compromising situations, ranging from drug abuse to robbery, by following his friends, and suffers as a result by going to prison. Thus, the pernicious influence of these friends, much like drugs, is a force of destruction in the characters’ lives.
In the same way that the drug addicted characters must completely abstain from drugs in order to avoid the consequences, they must renounce their corrupt friendships to be free of their destruction. This is seen in Stevie, a friend of Renton’s group who moves away to London, where he quits drugs and begins a new life. Having minimal contact with his former friends, Stevie establishes a better life, free of their destructive influence, which allows him to maintain a job and stable relationships. When celebrating New Years with Renton’s group, Stevie reflects “It was as if by singing loudly enough, they would weld themselves into a powerful brotherhood … It was fighting music. Stevie didn’t want to fight anyone.”(Welsh, 60) This group has created a brotherhood with an influence as powerful as addiction, and Stevie must eschew it in order to live a happy and healthy life. Likewise, Renton is most successful when he is separated from his friends; he stays clean and gets a job while in London, but returns to drug abuse and deviance when he returns to his friends in Leith. Renton realizes his friends are creating barriers in his life, and must completely break away from the group to rid himself of his toxic lifestyle. Renton’s final betrayal, in which he steals the group’s drug money and flees to Amsterdam, is an escape from their harmful influence; “Now, free of them all, for good, he could be what he wanted to be. He’d stand or fall alone.” (Welsh, 430) The group can no longer corrupt him, which will allow Renton to make lasting improvements in his life. When relationships hold a powerful and harmful influence, as they do in Trainspotting, it is necessary to eliminate their control in order to overcome the destruction they create.
The characters in Trainspotting are trapped in the vicious cycle of unhealthy friendships. Their drug addictions cause them to be selfish and to use friends only for personal benefit. This destroys their connection, but the power the group provides prevents them from abolishing these self-serving relationships. As a result, the friendships become harmful, much like a drug, and compel the characters into continued drug abuse and deviance, further inhibiting their ability to form meaningful relationships. The only way the characters are able to have a positive and successful future is to remove these toxic influences from their lives.