T5(o. Z : b8^ Livin Death the truth about Drug Addiction United States Treasury Department Bureau of Narcotics • Washington, D. C. Preface This booklet contains the essential facts about drug addiction. We feel that thinking people, knowing the facts, will avoid this living death. H. J. Anslinger U. S. Commissioner oj Narcotics U. S. Representative, United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs Living Death the truth about Drug Addiction AH men and women will benefit if they learn how to protect themselves and their friends from one of the worst dangers of all time — drug addiction. The best protection is to know the plain truth about what it does to the human body. Here are the facts, gathered from medical experts. What is a Drug Addict? A drug addict is a person who continues to use an addiction- producing drug, such as morphine or heroin (which is derived from morphine ) . There are many other addiction-producing drugs. Do not let yourself be persuaded to try any drug without medical need and advice. The taking of one of these drugs frequently for only a short time can result in addiction. Teen-age drug addiction in its inception and in its continuance is generally due to vice, vicious environment, and criminal asso- ciations, but it cannot be too strongly emphasized that the smok- ing of the marihuana cigarette is a dangerous first step on the road which usually leads to enslavement by heroin. Physical Effects of Drug Addiction In the early stages of addiction the addict's breathing and pulse rate are slowed down, blood pressure is reduced, and body temperature is lowered. His eyes become reddened, his pupils pinpointed, and his eyelids droop. He may suddenly become very active physically and then become drowsy and inactive and may drift into light sleep, suddenly awaken, and then drift back to sleep and have fantastic dreams — which may be most un- pleasant. He may also sufTer from dizziness. As addiction continues the pupils remain constricted, and the addict is always constipated. He gets such an abnormal desire for the drug that he feels he cannot get along without it. When he cannot get the drug he becomes very uneasy after a litde time. Later he becomes restless and irritable. His eyes water as though he had hay fever, he yawns, and mucus runs from his nose. Still later his muscles start to twitch violently and his back, arms, and legs ache severely. He has violent pains in his stomach, vomits, has diarrhea, kicks his legs and jerks his arms. He curls up in bed or on the floor and puts on as many blankets as he can find, even in the hottest weather. His feet twitch continuously. If he sleeps at all he is extremely restless. Finally sleep becomes impossible. Because he cannot retain food or liquid in his stomach he loses weight rapidly — as much as 10 pounds within 24 hours. About the third day without the drug he is in the very depths of torment. He is unkempt, disheveled, dirty, neglecting all thought of personal hygiene and decency. He is utterly wretched. Even after he begins to recover from these violent reactions to the drug, he still is unable to sleep, and suffers from extreme weakness and nervousness and has muscle aches and pains for several weeks. This is not a pretty picture, but it is something every person needs to know for his own safety and for that of friends he may help by pointing out the truth. Other Damage Perhaps some persons who become narcotic addicts are none 2 too bright before they start. But the drug habit can fasten its terrible hold, just as easily, on the *'smart" individual who thinks he knows it all and will not heed sound medical advice. The more anyone gets sunk into addiction, the more the weak traits he started with are exaggerated and his good traits dis- appear. Any strength of character the addict may have had originally is greatly weakened. A young person who gets into addiction is sleepy most of the time. He becomes poor in his studies and has no interest in athletics. He is irritable, tells stupid lies, or refuses to talk at all because he is completely preoccupied with himself. Continuing to take addiction-producing drugs usually results in a career of crime because the addict is too sleepy and unreliable to hold a good job, although he needs an enormous amount of money to keep himself supplied with the increasing quantities of the drug he craves. The sparkle of a pleasing personality is lost, for he lacks in- terest in everyone around him and is careless about his person. His interest narrows down to concern about only one thing — getting another dose of the drug. He ceases to be a real human being or a regular fellow. Marked decrease in sexual activity occurs during addiction to narcotic drugs. Babies bom to women addicts may be addicted at birth. Repeated needle punctures cause discolored scars and tattoo marks on the skin. Boils and abscesses often result from the use of unsterile equipment to inject the dmgs. Drug addicts are likely to die young because they suffer from severe malnutrition and general neglect of personal hygiene which almost invariably accompany drug addiction. How Not to Start The only way to avoid ending up as a drug addict is to use plain common sense and not to start. You do not learn to keep away from addiction by experimenting with it. If you do experi- ment, it will surely get a stranglehold on you. Ordinarily, a person is tempted first with marihuana ciga- rettes. He may not even know they are dope. Then, someone usually already addicted makes it easy to try some heroin. An- other person enslaved is an added guarantee of a continued supply for himself. Most teen-age addicts started by smoking marihuana cigarettes. Never let anyone persuade you to smoke even one marihuana cigarette. It is pure poison. Some young persons who are being trapped are "dared" to try the "stuff." Some think that they are exceptions and can handle anything. But they are wrong. They can't "fool" with nar- cotics. Nobody can. When a person realizes that anyone is trying to snare him, he should reaHze that he is having a terrifying look, face to face, at what probably is the foulest racket in existence. It must be squelched through the vigilance of everyone, the full power of the law, and the aid of every enlightened man and woman. Avoid a drug addict the same as you would a "Typhoid Mary"* because his plague is just as contagious. What we have been talking about is the criminal misuse of addiction-producing drugs. Incidentally, it is as much against the law to buy illegal drugs as.it is to sell them. Drug violations by teen-agers particularly are soon detected, and are subject to severe punishment under Federal law: 2 years of imprisonment for the first offense; 5 years for the second; and 10 years for the third. Laws to increase these penalties are expected to be passed in the near future. In many places, addiction itself is an offense for which the addict must undergo compulsory^ imprisonment in an institution until cured. Narcotics have many valuable uses in the field of medicine. Such legal uses are carefully controlled and should only originate through your doctor. The United States Treasury Department's ♦ *A typhoid carrier. 4 Bureau of Narcotics, physicians, and pharmacists all cooperate to make these controls effective and to protect you. Will you protect yourself? The cost, both to the individual and to the community, of pre- venting drug addiction is only a small fraction of the staggering annual cost of treatment and untold physical and moral ruin that are always the consequences of this degrading condition. There are many angles to dope addiction and every one of them is bad. But nothing is worse than what addiction does to the human body and mind. Everyone should help to wipe out this curse of mankind. Don't flirt with a living death! U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1 956 O— 3 7 0807 ninln.r.'?.?'"^^ OF FLORIDA 3 1262 08859 7884 i