The Book of Drugs: A Memoir

Product Information

There are about 16,000 murders a year and in more than half of them the victim or the perpetrator or both are drunk. Murdering someone generally doesn’t seem like a very good idea unless you’re drunk. Thrill (STR 1, 10-20eb/dose) Thrill is a cheap and safe, short-term euphoric. Popular with the teeny bobbers of the 21 st century. Benefits: Makes you feel good. Duration d10 Minutes. Warp Drive (STR 3, 300eb/dose) Warp Drive is a stronger and much more expensive variant of Flash, with less side-effects. Whereas Flash is typically used on the Street, WD is used mainly by “professionals” (i.e. racers, smugglers). Benefits: REF +3; Feeling of confidence. Duration d10 Hours. Recreational Drugs Not because Mike Doughty was victimized by his bandmates and the industry, but because he somehow blames the fans of the music for this.

Over the decades, now and then I have briefly wondered whether I was paranoid. Should I have put myself out there more? They probably needed a real friend, right? Be more compassionate. Be present. Be optimistic. Uppers (STR 1, 9eb/dose) Stimulants, available in a truly mind-boggling array of brands and prices. Benefits: REF+1; Duration 1d10 Hours Sure, yes, all right. Don’t be so shy, chombatta. Keep cool. This little thingy makes it impossible to overhear us. Relax! But then you don’t look like you are after Dowers. I guess you need Speed, Man. Am I right? I have it all. ALL. You just need to tell me what you want. The Blood Of Christ (STR 3, 450-900eb/dose) This drug, called the “Blood Of Christ”, fills the user with a feeling of divine euphoria, as if God had touched them. Anyone under the influence feels whole and complete, as if they could do anything. They have no worldly fears, since God will protect them. Benefits: CL+3, Euphoria. Duration: d10 Minutes. Mike Doughty has cured me of that second-guessing, I think. I like his music (and that of Soul Coughing) and reading almost half of this book hasn't changed that... it's just reinforced that the fringe was the best place for me. That self-loathing that builds into self-destruction

Stigmata (STR 2, 140eb/dose) Stigmata is a combat drug that originated on the East Coast. Its effects are simple: The drug increases the user’s REF by 2 and acts as a Euphoric. The effect is a feeling of invincibility. Form: A silvery, metallic powder resembling ground graphite. Benefits: Euphoric, REF+2, Duration: d6x10 Minutes.

Sin (STR 1, 90eb/dose) Sin acts as an anti-depressant, aphrodesiac and uninhibitor without causing a hangover, which makes it popular. It also occasionally sends people into a psychotic killing frenzy, which makes it illegal. It is manufactured in 25mg capsules. Benefits: Aphrodesiac, Euphoric, Endurance+1, Duration: d10 hours. MDA-Cubed (STR 4, 750eb) This bitter pink-white pill embossed with a pink or red heart gives with it the guarantee of the ultimate orgasm. As the effects of the drug begin, the user begins to feel a oneness for all things, an overwhelming love for the universe, a rejection of conventional sexual mores, and an incredibly potent desire to blissfully copulate with the nearest object. Users are known to have had sex with people outside their sexual orientation, with people they hate, with family members, minors, house pets, reptiles, and electrical appliances. Benefits: Euphoria, Aphrodisiac. Duration: d10 hours.I haven't finished a celebrity autobio since 1995 or 1996 (Lauren Bacall, if you're curious, and yeah I sobbed when Bogie died). It's not a genre that interests me, but "Unsingable Name" was a personal anthem of sorts & I'll always love Doughty's noughties era work in progress performance of whatever-it-was with the fake word bridge. His style here of jumping from memory to memory without transition held my interest for quite a while, as my memories work that way, too -- but I'm done. /shrug I'd assumed that his skills, being all-powerful, arose from some place of righteousness. That notion was challenged by The Book Of Drugs, a well-written and honest but spiteful story. Surge (STR 1, 112.5eb/dose) Trauma Team International! This drug acts like an endorphin. The patient receives a burst of energy an can ignore the need for food and sleep and receives a bonus to his Stun and Death Save. Benefits: Bonus to Stun and Death Saves is 1; Duration 1d10 Hours. Not exactly brainwashing. It’s just a few hour-long sessions with a psychologist. There’s no doubt that the wisdom is not the drugs, but the fact that you can fairly reliably produce something that people spend their whole lives in monasteries trying to get to, seems to me a pretty exciting result. Sin (STR 1, 90eb/dose) Sin acts as an anti-depressant, aphrodesiac and uninhibitor without causing a hangover, which makes it popular. It also occasionally sends people into a psychotic killing frenzy, which makes it illegal. It is manufactured in 25mg capsules. Benefits: Aphrodesiac, Euphoric, Endurance+1, Duratio d10 hours.