Is functional addiction a myth? Or common?

[pastypirate]

A debate I've had a few times. In no way am I taking about a specific person or group not my partner etc etc it's more curiosity.

People over the years who are quite liberal about substance use have told me there are loads of functioning addicts and it's perfectly possible. This is usually followed by stuff about the societal view of alcohol use being v tolerant as opposed to the societal view of opiates for example.

I expect there is extensive data around problematic use due to needing medical care etc and various services but is that one end of the spectrum? I have no idea. And I imagine far less data about recreational use.

V interested to read others opinions/facts etc. very much a journal paper person and going down a study rabbit hole too.

Here's a nice little list of famously functioning addicts to get you started!
https://drugabuse.com/blog/20-genius-minds-and-the-drugs-they-were-addicted-to/

I once found photos of politicians injecting themselves (with morphine or heroin, presumably) through their trouser legs in the House of Commons. The only detail I remember is their tweed suits, so probably around the end of the 19th century.

Heroin doesn't kill its users. The problems come from poor hygiene, adulterated product and escalation. Most addicts think they'll be able to maintain a stable dose but, of course, that's hard to do. May as well come off it.

In the 1980s I knew a lot of heavy cocaine users with high-powered jobs. As they became increasingly moody & erratic, they came off it or dialled it right back down. I'm not convinced it's addictive as such; more a case of users liking their coked-up selves and not wanting to come down.

Addiction, rather than dependence, implies potentially harmful and becoming all-important in one's life. It's subjective though - who's to say when the line into addiction is crossed. I have know people who have been addicted to substances and managed to hold down a job. Other areas of their lives have suffered. But you could say the same about some people who are not addicted to anything.

I think a lot depends on family and friends who support, financial and material security and resilience.

there certainly are functioning addicts. It’s a tricky line to walk though. Cost is an issue - it’s much easier to be functioning if you can afford your cocaine rather than constantly trying to get money for your next fix

How do you know it was an illegal drug they were injecting and not prescription medication?

As best I can recall, it was on prescription @Crinkle77 - as a maintenance dose, because they were addicts. I don't think stabbing a hypodermic through your trouser leg has ever been the accepted means of delivery for normal medications. To stave off withdrawal while attending a long debate, though, it might be.

Heroin and cocaine were used for medicinal reasons in the late 19th century. Most of them weren't classed as illegal drugs until much later. Opium was a common pain relief and cocaine was used in medicines such as eyedrops.

@Crinkle77 it wasn't illegal until 1920! Even then, it was widely prescribed.

Sorry I misread the original post and didn't realise you meant in the 19th century .