An Excerpt from On Opium by Carlyn Zwarenstein
Why should I feel... Read more
A groundbreaking meditation on pain, painkillers, and dependence from a prescription opioid user.
Her writing has been described as “measured,” “sensuous,” and “compelling.” In 2016, Carlyn Zwarenstein’s short narrative on pain made the Globe and Mail’s Top 100 Books. Now, she returns with a seductive dive into opioids and the nature of dependence.
North Americans are the world’s most prolific users of opioid... Read More
A groundbreaking meditation on pain, painkillers, and dependence from a prescription opioid user.
Her writing has been described as “measured,” “sensuous,” and “compelling.” In 2016, Carlyn Zwarenstein’s short narrative on pain made the Globe and Mail’s Top 100 Books. Now, she returns with a seductive dive into opioids and the nature of dependence.
North Americans are the world’s most prolific users of opioid painkillers. In On Opium, Zwarenstein describes her own use of opioid-inspired medicines to cope with a painful disease. Evoking both Thomas De Quincey and Frida Kahlo, she travels from the decadence of recreational drug use in past eras to the misery and privation of the overdose crisis today.
Speaking with users of prescribed morphine, illicit fentanyl, and smoked opium, Zwarenstein investigates uncomfortable questions about why people use substances and when substance use becomes addiction. And she exposes causes of drug-related harms: the debilitating effects of poverty, isolation, and trauma; the role of race, class, and gender in addressing pain; and a system of prohibition that has converted age-old medicines into taboo substances.
Through all of this, Zwarenstein finds hope. Drawing on solidarity between illicit drug users and people in pain; in a wise understanding of what humans need to be well; and in radical drug policies like legalization and safe supply, she lays out a vision of a world where suffering is no longer lauded, and opioids are no longer demonized.
An Excerpt from On Opium by Carlyn Zwarenstein
Why should I feel... Read more
ISBN: | 9781773101811 |
Title: | On Opium |
Subtitle: | Pain, Pleasure, and Other Matters of Substance |
Subject: | SOCIAL SCIENCE / Disease & Health Issues |
Contributor: | Carlyn Zwarenstein (CA) |
Format: | Paperback / softback | Trade paperback (US) |
Price (CAD): | 24.95 |
Publisher: | Goose Lane Editions |
Imprint: | Goose Lane Editions |
ISBN13: | 9781773101811 |
ISBN10: | 1773101811 |
Publication Date: | 20210914 |
Last Updated: | 20210925 |
Enter your postal code to locate your nearest local book seller and library:
|
Check digital book availability at your public library |
---|
Check availability at your local book seller |
View more Atlantic book sellers |
Buy online from the publisher |
Buy online |
$24.95 |
<p><b>A groundbreaking meditation on pain, painkillers, and dependence from a prescription opioid user.</b><p><p>Her writing has been described as “measured,” “sensuous,” and “compelling.” In 2016, Carlyn Zwarenstein’s short narrative on pain made the <i>Globe and Mail’s</i> Top 100 Books. Now, she returns with a seductive dive into opioids and the nature of dependence.</p><p>North Americans are the world’s most prolific users of opioid painkillers. In <i>On Opium</i>, Zwarenstein describes her own use of opioid-inspired medicines to cope with a painful disease. Evoking both Thomas De Quincey and Frida Kahlo, she travels from the decadence of recreational drug use in past eras to the misery and privation of the overdose crisis today.</p><p>Speaking with users of prescribed morphine, illicit fentanyl, and smoked opium, Zwarenstein investigates uncomfortable questions about why people use substances and when substance use becomes addiction. And she exposes causes of drug-related harms: the debilitating effects of poverty, isolation, and trauma; the role of race, class, and gender in addressing pain; and a system of prohibition that has converted age-old medicines into taboo substances.</p><p>Through all of this, Zwarenstein finds hope. Drawing on solidarity between illicit drug users and people in pain; in a wise understanding of what humans need to be well; and in radical drug policies like legalization and safe supply, she lays out a vision of a world where suffering is no longer lauded, and opioids are no longer demonized.</p>
Dimensions | 9 × 454 in |
---|
Stay tuned for our next contest for Atlantic Canadian teachers! In the meantime, build a wishlist of books in the ABC collection that you can shop from any time! We'll let you know when it's time to share on social media with the hashtag #ReadAtlanticABC for a chance to win books from your list (up to $250 value).
AtlanticBooks.ca is your source for Atlantic Canadian books. Stay up to date with the latest books news, feature stories, and reviews, and browse our catalogue of local books where you can download samples, borrow digital books from your local library, or purchase them through local book sellers or publishers.
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for this project, as well as the Province of New Brunswick’s Department of Tourism, Heritage, and Culture, the Province of Newfoundland’s Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, and Recreation, the Province of Nova Scotia’s Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, and the Province of Prince Edward Island’s Innovation PEI Arts, Culture, and Heritage Department