HJNO May/Jun 2022

DRUG ADDICTION Tony: You know I know how you feel? The Addict: Okay, try imagining if everyone you told about your wife dying just thought it was her own fault. Tony: What do you mean? The Addict: Well, Mel was an addict, wasn’t she? She injected herself, so, you know, most people just think it was her fault. They don’t feel the same sympathy ... for me or for her. The addict, in despair, goes on to intentionally overdose, actually with Tony giving him the money for that purpose. This scene should speak to us on why it matters, if you don’t already understand. A US HEALTHCARE JOURNALS SERIES Drug Addiction 20 MAY / JUN 2022 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   In Part II of the USHJ Series on drug addiction, we look into the question, “Is drug addiction a brain disease or a compulsive behavior?”, and why it matters. For those of you not intimately familiar with drug addiction, there is a scene in the Netflix series, “After Life,”where twomenwhosewives died recently are seeking relief from the pain of grief together — through street drugs. This is their second time “using” together. One is a homeless addict; the other, new to this type of drug use, is a middle-aged, middle-class, somewhat respectable man named Tony. Both are struggling with existence without their beloved wives. The conversation goes something like this: