The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-10-13
OPIUM EATING.

4 ..
J. The following extracts are. from a
new work 1.-THE Opium Habit, with
suggestions" written by victim:
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ALCOHOL AND
Il OPIUM.
The difference between opium and
alcohol in their effects on body and
mind, is Judging from my own expert
ence) very great. Alcohol, pushed 10
certain extent, overthrows the bal
ance of the faculties, and brings out
some one or more into undue promiu-
ence and activity; and (sad indeed)
| Lhese are the most commonly our in
fsrior and perhaps lowest faculties. a
man VINO, sober, is demi. god, is,when
urunki below even a beast. With
1 opium (nle judiee) it is the reverse,
opium takes mans mind where it
finds 1t, and lifts it en- nlGsse on to a far
| higher platform of existence, the facul-
ties all retaining their former relative
| posltions-that is, taking the mind as
it is, it intensifies and exhalts an its
capacities of thought and susceptible
ties of emotion. Not even this, how
ever, extrHvagant Hs 1t may sound, con-
Yeys the whole truth. Opium weakens
or utterly paralyzes the lower propen-
stiles, while 1t inyigorates and elevates
| the superior faculties, both Intellectual
and affectional. The opium-eater is
without sexual Appetizer anger, envy,
malice and the entire hell brood claim
ing kin to these, seem dead within him,
or at least asleep; while gentleness,
Kindness, benevolence, together with a
sort ofsentimental religionism, consti-
tute his habit and frame of mind. If a
man has poetical gift, opium almost
trresistihly stirs it into utterance. If
his vocation be to write, it matters not
how profound, how difficult, how knot
ty the theme to be handled, opium i'm
parts before unknown power of deal
ing with such a theme; and after COM
pletiDg his task man reads his own
composition with amazement at its
depth, its grasp, its beauty, and force
of expression, and wonders whence
came the thoughts that stand on the
page before him. Ifcalled to speak in
public, Opium gives him copiousness
OF thought, huency of utterance, a
fruitfulness of Illustration, and a pene-
trating, thrilling eloquence which often
astounds and overmasters himself, not
less than it kindles, melts and sways
the audience he addresses. I might
dilate largely on this topic,s but space
and strength are alike lacking.
HOW TIE HABIT WAS OVERCOME.
a six yeurs' inorphine.ea citizen
of Wisconsin, makes confession that,
finding on the 18th of April, 1867, his
health all gone, unable to attend to
business, and desiring nothing but |
death to close his sufferinRs, he made |
up his mind to stop the use of NOR
phine all at once. He thus describes |
his experiences:
The first forty eight hours 1 slept
most of the time, waking somewhat |
ofteD, however, and then dropping |
asleep, while sort of nervous twItch- |
ing would come and go. But the next |
day found me wide awake. And
shall tell you?-there was no more |
nj al iun n a
passed. 1 was fully awake-never |
slept one moment The second day |
my suffering WAS intense. Every |
nerve seemed to be on rampage. |
Every faculty, mental and physical, |
appeared to be stirring 10 see how |
much suffering / could stand. The |
third day my bowels began to empty, |
and river OF old foetid matter ran |
away. It seemed that 1 was passing |
of in corruption. This continued for
nearly four long suffering weeks. !
never checked 1t, but let nature take |
her course.
During the first four weeks OF the |
hghtth was extreme pain in every |
part OF my body. II seemed TO me |
that l should burn up. This worse |
than death sensation never left me |
single hour for the first thirty-five |
days. IL seemed at times as though |
my bones would burst open; a sort of
nerve fire seemed to be shut up in them |
which must be let out. was able to |
walk out, and If necessary, could |
walk mile or more.
The fifty-sixth day of suffering with
out sleep found me at Water Cure
Warm baths, sometimes with battery, |
then packs, then sitz baths, for ten |
more long, suffering days and nights
but sleep never came to me and pain
never left me. On the sixty-fifth day of
the fight felt perfectly easy. All my
pains were gone. went to my room |
and slept nearly four hours, for ten |
minutes after waking never stirred a |
limb or muscle, fearing it would bring
back the pains. But a happier man |
never woke from sleep. / saw that |
was delivered from the prison-house of
death. Itelegraphed to my family that
sleep had come. To my dying hour
shall ever remember that evenIful day. |
But 1t was only the glimmering of light. |
Gradually and slowly sleep came to be |
my companion again, And even yet
it has not yet fully come. Until within
the last twenty days, when 1 aYoke,
every nerve every emotion was awake
all at once.
1t is now the tenth month since Iquit
morphine. Then my weight was only
one-hundred and twenty-five pounds.
now it is one hundred and ninety.
am the happiest man on earth-I am
redeemed from one of the lowest bells
in all worlds.