Given Marlowe's family history, the subject of heroin substitutes should have special significance for her. MPPP has caused Parkinsonian syndrome in dope fiends to the point of permanent total paralysis. Ann, dope doesn't cause headaches. There's something for Ann to think about while she's all alone- without even a television set. She writes about her isolation.
Isolated systems seek a dead level.
But entropy is the degree to which energy in a closed system tends towards the greatest degreee of disorder. A human being is an open system. You don't need a defense against zero entropy. Maybe this isn't a reference book after all. Maybe it's another Naked Lunch.