ROLE OF ADDICTION AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN THE NOVEL?
- desantismt_17
- Posts: 459
- Joined: 19 Mar 2018, 08:56
- Currently Reading: When Angels Play Poker
- Bookshelf Size: 1313
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-desantismt-17.html
- Latest Review: Sasquatch Did It! by Patricia Komar
Re: ROLE OF ADDICTION AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN THE NOVEL?
- gkgurley
- Posts: 115
- Joined: 28 Apr 2018, 00:23
- Favorite Book: The Two Towers
- Currently Reading: A Darker Shade of Magic
- Bookshelf Size: 82
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gkgurley.html
- Latest Review: Superhighway by Alex Fayman
- Reading Device: B00IKPYKWG
It's perfect because the circus and addiction are perfect parallels. Life in the circus is full of manic excitement and depressing lows. His moments of performing, putting on a show and impressing the audience with danger, is a high, a rush, a fix. The next morning when they have to clean up, travel, and he's sore, is the depressing low, making him crave the fix even more. Of course an addict would seek out a career in the circus; of course someone in the circus would become addicted to something. What a marvelous parallel, and as the book goes on, it's clear that the two go hand in hand for Duke.
- kfwilson6
- Previous Member of the Month
- Posts: 2065
- Joined: 14 Feb 2018, 15:30
- Currently Reading: Lord of Chaos
- Bookshelf Size: 298
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kfwilson6.html
- Latest Review: The Stone Wall Crossing by Alice Schellhorn Magrane
- Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU
Very good point. As long as they feel like there is some justification for it, that seems to eliminate the potential for guilt. I wish we had more background about both characters. Not to provide justification, but to delve more into why they thought their addictions were justified.kdstrack wrote: ↑10 May 2018, 21:59Another common thread is the "I am a victim" syndrome. Many addicts feel they have a right to their addiction because of their family situation, background, tragedy, etc. etc. Both Duke and Gary manifest some of this - their difficult home situations seem to be the accepted reason for being addicts (or alcoholics). Then, it becomes harder to change the person's attitude than overcome the actual addiction.Jeyasivananth wrote: ↑09 May 2018, 14:15I too agree with your observations. Alcohol and drugs may provide a temporary escape but slowly turn the person more helpless.kdstrack wrote: ↑08 May 2018, 23:12 "An addictive action often creates a sense of being empowered", - this is true. It "creates" something that is not real. While the addicted person may feel empowered, he is still perpetuating his own self-destruction. Alcohol and drugs provide an escape, a way to not have to face the painful emotions and memories of the past. It actually makes the addict more helpless. This is the difficulty of dealing with addicts. Leaving their drugs and alcohol behind faces them to face up to the memories and pain that torment them. In the book we see how Duke conquered alcohol but not drugs. Gary's coma was a blessing in disguise to eliminate his addictions.
- bootsie0126+
- Posts: 284
- Joined: 11 Mar 2018, 19:36
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 285
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bootsie0126.html
- Latest Review: The Reel Sisters by Michelle Cummings
- Reading Device: B01GEW27DA
First, drug addiction is a chronic disease that affects not only your brain but your behavior. When you are addicted to drugs, you are unable to resist the urge to do drugs, even though you know what negative affect it causes. Being addicted to drugs changes a person thought process. Where something we would never do if not on drugs, would not even cause a second thought to do when on drugs is the thinking that most drug addicts have. Many people with addiction have addictive personalities which is why many compulsive personalities and often seek activities that produces that high effect they get from doing drugs.Jeyasivananth wrote: ↑07 May 2018, 09:22 In my observation addiction as a manifestation of a disturbed psyche is another important motif in the book.
Gary Robinson grows up as a helpless and powerless child unable to stop his mother’s drinking habits. Duke Reynold too extensively uses drugs to sustain himself.
An addictive action often creates a sense of being empowered, of regaining control against helplessness. Drugs are particularly good for this purpose because they alter one's emotional state, making them feel empowered and decisive. We see this in the protagonists. Both the protagonists hail from dysfunctional families and addiction helps them to cope up with this emotional scar and helplessness.
what are your observations on this?
Often it is extremely hard for a person to get off drugs. Sometimes it can take numerous attempts at rehab to get clean, if they do at all. People who are fortunate to have never been addicted to drugs, fully understand the rational behind the behavior of an addict. People think that all you have to do is simply stop doing drugs, only if it was that simple. You are unable to think rationally when you are on drugs, so the consequences of drug use is not a deterrent from doing drugs. Most people require professional help in getting clean and sometimes that does not work. There are also people who have quit on their own. Each individual is different, however only until the person is truly ready to get clean will any type of treatment work. It is only until a person is able to get to the root cause of their addiction, can healing begin. Knowing the triggers that will cause a person to pick up using will enable them to turn away from those triggers. It is a step process that must be followed in order to work.
- Lolo Skyooz
- Posts: 36
- Joined: 05 Apr 2018, 01:14
- Currently Reading: The Haunting of Hill House
- Bookshelf Size: 12
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lolo-skyooz.html
- Latest Review: Demon Freaks by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison
- Reading Device: B00GDQDRPK
- P Reefer
- Posts: 601
- Joined: 06 May 2018, 08:13
- Favorite Book: The Lost Identity Casualties
- Currently Reading: De Facto Feminisn
- Bookshelf Size: 159
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-p-reefer.html
- Latest Review: The McCoys Before The Feud by Thomas McCoy
- kfwilson6
- Previous Member of the Month
- Posts: 2065
- Joined: 14 Feb 2018, 15:30
- Currently Reading: Lord of Chaos
- Bookshelf Size: 298
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kfwilson6.html
- Latest Review: The Stone Wall Crossing by Alice Schellhorn Magrane
- Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU
Great perception. I never thought about it in that say but that is spot on. It's probably a huge part of why Duke missed the circus so much in the off season.gkgurley wrote: ↑12 May 2018, 15:21 I love the line, "The circus and alcohol were his life. He couldn't imagine his life without either". (page 67).
It's perfect because the circus and addiction are perfect parallels. Life in the circus is full of manic excitement and depressing lows. His moments of performing, putting on a show and impressing the audience with danger, is a high, a rush, a fix. The next morning when they have to clean up, travel, and he's sore, is the depressing low, making him crave the fix even more. Of course an addict would seek out a career in the circus; of course someone in the circus would become addicted to something. What a marvelous parallel, and as the book goes on, it's clear that the two go hand in hand for Duke.
- onixpam
- Posts: 318
- Joined: 14 Feb 2018, 00:19
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 150
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-onixpam.html
- Latest Review: Toni the Superhero by R.D. Base
- Kendra M Parker
- Posts: 597
- Joined: 07 Apr 2018, 07:49
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 421
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kendra-m-parker.html
- Latest Review: Requiem, Changing Times by RJ Parker
- Reading Device: B00GDQDRPK
Clearly both Duke and Gary were functioning addicts. They had trouble keeping jobs, but they were able to function reasonably well. Their biggest issue was the fact that they made questionable choices. Once they got the alcohol out of their lives, many of the choices improved, but the other drugs still remained. Addiction is tough to overcome.Bookmermaid wrote: ↑19 May 2018, 13:05 The characters' addictions do not make them impotent towards making a living. This type of addiction in which the individual is reasonably functional mirrors man addicted persons in reality. The heavy use of alcohol is part of the joie de vivre nature of the characters. Their abuse of these substances often lands them in serious problems.
- bootsie0126+
- Posts: 284
- Joined: 11 Mar 2018, 19:36
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 285
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bootsie0126.html
- Latest Review: The Reel Sisters by Michelle Cummings
- Reading Device: B01GEW27DA
You are correct that substance abuse is an addiction, disease, and illness. However, there are many recovery addicts that have been able to escape that circle and go one to be productive memberss of society. In order for an addict to get well, tht person must find out the root cause of the addiction. This is often disccovered through the help of therapy. Once the cause of addiction is defined, that person is able to learn the triggers which causes them to use drugs, which they can learn to avoid. So, yes it is hard to overcome drugs and alcohol, it is not impossible.
- [Valerie Allen]
- Posts: 698
- Joined: 17 Mar 2018, 23:24
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 779
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-valerie-allen.html
- Latest Review: Utopia Project by Billy Dering
- bootsie0126+
- Posts: 284
- Joined: 11 Mar 2018, 19:36
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 285
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bootsie0126.html
- Latest Review: The Reel Sisters by Michelle Cummings
- Reading Device: B01GEW27DA
While it is true that many people that are addictive to something, (whether it be drugs, alcohol, sex, eating, gambling or even video gaming) are seeking some type of coping mechanism to something in their life, there are many causes attributed to the addictive behavior. A person may develop an addiction due to a generic predisposition, biology, growing up in an environment where that type of situation occurs, or even some type of trauma that changes the brain's thought processing. I believe both Gary and Duke's addiction were a combination of multiple things in their lives.Kendra M Parker wrote: ↑08 May 2018, 12:06 I think addiction was a way for the protagonists to avoid dealing with their personal issues. Duke used alcohol to fill his desire for family. His methamphetamine addiction was caused by his “family,” but it was also a way for him to feel closer to his family.
Gary used alcohol and drugs to replace his own family, but also it was a symptom of a directionless life. This is so common in this generation because kids are told “you can be anything you want.” The only problem is that no one tells those kids that it takes hard work to get there. This generation tends to think that everything should be handed to them, or it should be easy to get there. Gary comments on this as well, when he talks about wanting to find love and to make a difference, but he doesn’t realize that it takes effort to do both.
- Yoli García
- Posts: 783
- Joined: 06 Mar 2017, 02:23
- Currently Reading: Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute
- Bookshelf Size: 210
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-yoli-garc-a.html
- Latest Review: Dagger's Destiny by Linnea Tanner
On the other hand, I think Gary was an addict because he grew up with an alcoholic mother. He became and alcoholic himself and a drug user. He did not have direction and purpose in life. I think he continued using to keep himself from facing his problems and deciding what to do with his life.
-Gabriel García Márquez
- Kendra M Parker
- Posts: 597
- Joined: 07 Apr 2018, 07:49
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 421
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kendra-m-parker.html
- Latest Review: Requiem, Changing Times by RJ Parker
- Reading Device: B00GDQDRPK
You’re right that addictions can be caused by a wide variety of things for different people. I think in the case of this story, Duke and Gary both started on their paths to addiction due to problems in the home and poor examples at home. Duke got involved with the circus, which took him further down that path. Gary went to college and got involved with his fraternity. There seems to be a sense of them using these drugs and alcohol to fill a void left by their birth families and to avoid facing the issues and trauma they experienced at the hands of their families.bootsie0126+ wrote: ↑26 May 2018, 09:12While it is true that many people that are addictive to something, (whether it be drugs, alcohol, sex, eating, gambling or even video gaming) are seeking some type of coping mechanism to something in their life, there are many causes attributed to the addictive behavior. A person may develop an addiction due to a generic predisposition, biology, growing up in an environment where that type of situation occurs, or even some type of trauma that changes the brain's thought processing. I believe both Gary and Duke's addiction were a combination of multiple things in their lives.Kendra M Parker wrote: ↑08 May 2018, 12:06 I think addiction was a way for the protagonists to avoid dealing with their personal issues. Duke used alcohol to fill his desire for family. His methamphetamine addiction was caused by his “family,” but it was also a way for him to feel closer to his family.
Gary used alcohol and drugs to replace his own family, but also it was a symptom of a directionless life. This is so common in this generation because kids are told “you can be anything you want.” The only problem is that no one tells those kids that it takes hard work to get there. This generation tends to think that everything should be handed to them, or it should be easy to get there. Gary comments on this as well, when he talks about wanting to find love and to make a difference, but he doesn’t realize that it takes effort to do both.
- KRay93
- Posts: 393
- Joined: 01 Mar 2018, 09:49
- Currently Reading: The Bourne Identity
- Bookshelf Size: 98
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kray93.html
- Latest Review: Non-Disclosure by George Dapra
However, when it comes to addiction to substances (cocaine, methamphetamine, acid, etc.), there are far greater risks due to their effects and the additives that are usually placed in their processing. Here, genetic predispositions and other factors become secondary. Although it is already difficult enough to leave a more traditional addiction (alcohol, cigarettes, sex), it is even more complicated in cases like these.