This is my third Dalrymple book, so needless to say I like his work. I'm giving it four stars because I like his writing style and I think he makes an interesting point, but this is a weaker effort than "Life at the Bottom" and "Our Culture". That said, here's a synopsis of the plot, and what I found to be strengths and weaknesses.
To start with the bad- it's a bit repetitive. It relies for it's major premise, that we have romanticized opiate addiction, on a couple of books written a hundred years ago by obscure authors. I think his point is still true, but other than "Trainspotting" and one or two other examples, he built a rather elaborate structure on a rather slender foundation. I also had a lot of problem with his treatment of the addiction itself. A major point, which I thought he demonstrated admirably, was that opiates are not physically addicting and more than that, the physical withdrawal even from heroin is trivial. This is a salient point, and one that if true (and he makes a strong case for it) should be far more widely disseminated. On the other hand I don't think giving up much of any drug is like swearing off broccoli, and a kind word or two of praise to those endeavoring to beat their addiction would've make the book better for me.
His writing style is dry and witty and persuasive. His research is thorough, and his personal opinions are usually not left to stand on their own, but are buttressed with facts. As I said in the title, if you haven't read one of his other books- read one of them first. If you have and you like his style, you'll probably like this as well- just maybe not quite as much.
I've been a fan of Dalrymple's writing for years, and looked forward to his latest book. It doesn't disappoint. Dalrymple demonstrates, both with examples from his practice and citations to medical literature, that withdrawal symptoms from opiates such as heroin are comparable to the flu, and are actually far less medically serious than the DTs experienced by alcoholics (which can actually be life-threatening). Our society is nevertheless far more sympathetic to heroin addicts than alcoholics, seeing them as tragic figures in need of medical treatment who have little if any responsibility for becoming addicted in the first place. Dalrymple traces the tendency to romanticize opiate addiction from the Romantic poets up through the recent "heroin chic." Required reading for anyone interested in addiction.
