The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-04-25
The Curse of Opium Eating.

One who subscribes himself ga Vic
tim " to the use of opium has recently
asked what he can do to conquer the
habit. He has my sincere sympathy,
says n correspondent in reply, and I
gladly give him an instance of n success
ful aud radical cure. I had the mis-
! fortune to pay all the bills for years Of
an opium user, and know well-by thou
sands of dollars squandered through the
mental infrmities engendcred from the
use of the drug-how terrible its results
can be. The patient was of q robust
constitution. and of more than ordinary
mental ability. The reasoning powers
appeared to he little injured, but there
was a serious perversion OF the moral
senses. Five years ago the patient was
using opium ut the rate Of three ounces
a week, or three drachms of morphine,
sometimes diminishing q third, and again
sometimes doubling the average quanti-
ty. Talk and persuasion had never
availed, but at last something reused the
unfortunate's self respect, and [ re-
ceived a voluntary offer to quit its use,
but I an free to say that I listened with
out any hope.
AsI live in a village, it was easy to
notify the druggists not to furnish my
household any more of the drug, but l
knew that it was easier for my patient
to promise than TO perform, and took the
%precaution to interrogate those who came
about the house that I was not sure of
what their business was, and if not certain
l. .ar-.o 4l,,. o1. 1Vi41, {ha nv
ception of one vial Of morphine surrepti'
tiously introduced, I succeeded. I first
reduced the amount of opium to
IN ounce Il week, and then to
half the amount. When convinced
that the victim was il earnest,
I called in a competent physician and al
able-bodied nurse. The deathly pallor
and cold skin and sweating on the fore
head, which indicate that the effects of
opium have passed off, occurred at four
o'clock in the afternoon, and not until
the third evening did I lie down to sleep.
The first evening the fainting fits aud
collapse of the system were checked by
the use of wine and brandy, mixed, and
during the night we gave bromide of
potassium frequently, which produced
al irregular stupor, the nearest ap-
preach we could make toward securing
Sleep for the patient. In the morning
and through the day We used very strong
coffee, which T believe is about the only
remedy resortel to by homeopathists in
such cases. The bromide and the coffee
were continued for about q month MS the
main remedies to allay the nervous irri-
liability. To induce sleep our physician
would ordinarily prescribe bydrate Of
chloral, frequently substituting tincture
of Indian hemp, in order to avoid any
injurious effects of the chloral. The
sufferer was an invalid for fully three
weeks, and it was about two months be-
fore natural sleep could be fully restored
without the aid Of narcotics. But little
attention was paid to the food, the
patients fancy being usually deferred
to. Once or twice during unusually ex-
cited nervous conditions assafetida WAS
used with happy effect.
I say to GA Victim" frankly, that the
first struggle is a terrible one, and that
it will be followed by weeks of acute
nervous agony, when he will wish him
self dead and out of the way. But if he
will place himself unreservedly and
trustingly in the hands of q iudicious
physician and his family he can Sic
ceed. I think he had better let the men
who advertise to cure the habit entirely
alone.