Drug Use In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

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“Drug use may still represent a route to ‘unreality’ and a means to slip away from the constraints of routine, but today, in many more different ways for many more different people, drug use is actually a part of the ‘paramount reality’ of everyday life” (South 4). Drugs have been an escape route to relieve stress and to forget about the complications in one’s life. One 's body and mind will begin to hunger for the impression of getting away or overlooking one 's issue and begin to drive the drug user to the extreme to facilitate the yearning of utilizing a greater amount of the drug. This then becomes the start of addiction. What is addiction? According to the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence, they define addiction as “a state, psychic …show more content…
Most adult relationships can be affected by one or both partners who are abusing drugs. This can result in “depletion of common financial resources, increased health costs, employment problems and emotional stress” (Jamieson 79). One partner may have to take on the full responsibility for the family which could lead to stress, depression, resentment, or even start to abuse drugs. In the short story Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin, the narrator states “You mean – they 'll let him out. And then he 'll just start working his way back in again. You mean he 'll never kick the habit. Is that what you mean?” (Madden 222). This quote shows that the narrator has to grapple the idea that Sonny, his brother, will never kick his drug addiction and if Sonny doesn’t quit abusing drugs, then he will never get his brother back. This short story shows a great deal of suffering for Sonny as he uses heroin to cope his pain, but also, the narrator is suffering because of the fact he is losing his brother to …show more content…
Individuals take drugs for some reasons: alleviation of stress, expanded vitality, to unwind, to mitigate agony, to escape reality, to feel more self-regard, and for diversion. The impacts of being a drug abuser can affect many people: on the person, on the loved ones, and on society. Becoming a drug abuser or a drug addict can cause many health issues such as damage to your heart, lungs, stomach, and brain. Drug use can disturb family life and make dangerous examples of codependency, that is, the companion or entire family, out of adoration or dread of outcomes, accidentally empowers the client to keep utilizing drugs by concealing, providing cash, or denying there is an issue. Individuals who utilize drugs encounter a wide cluster of physical, mental, and emotional impacts that could change their life

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