Addicts Who Survived: An Oral History of Narcotic Use in America, 1923-1965 [Hardcover]

David Courtwright (Author), Herman Joseph (Author), Don Des Jarlais (Author), Claude Brown (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This comprehensive history of drug addiction in the U.S. by Courtwright, head of the University of Florida's department of history and philosphy, and coauthors Joseph, a sociologist, and social psychologist and AIDS researcher Des Jarlais, offers first-person monologues by 40 addicts whose stories retain each speaker's idiom. The authors distinguish their subjects, all now in their 60s, 70s and 80s, from "ordinary" junkies, depicting them as an elite among addicts who survived the so-called "classic" period, 1923-1965, of harsh narcotics law enforcement to participate in New York City's mid-'60s (and ongoing) methadone maintenance program. (Thefts and drug trafficking are compared here to a diabetic's "crime" of stealing to buy insulin.) Most severe criticism is reserved for what the authors view as inept and corrupt drug policies. This study has much to say to a general audience, as well as those involved in drug control. Photos.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 399 pages
• Publisher: University of Tennessee Press; 1 edition (January 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870495879
• ISBN-13: 978-0870495878
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,105,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Courtwright is known for his books on drug use and drug policy in American and world history (Dark Paradise, Addicts Who Survived, and Forces of Habit) and for his books on the special problems of frontier environments (Violent Land and Sky as Frontier). His most recent book, No Right Turn, chronicles the tumultuous politics and surprising outcome of the culture war that engulfed America in the four decades after Nixon's 1968 election.

Courtwright lives in Jacksonville, Florida, and teaches history at the University of North Florida, where he is Presidential Professor. He was educated at the University of Kansas and at Rice University.

Photo credits: Shelby Miller (color) and David Wilson (black and white)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent account of narcotic use, from old-timers., April 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Addicts Who Survived: An Oral History of Narcotic Use in America, 1923-1965 (Hardcover)

The stories describe life in the opium dens, dealing with the Federal Narcotics Farms (Texas & Kentucky)and dealing with the pressures applied in the Anslinger era. It's a telling exposé of how little progress has been made in Drug Control Policy.

5.0 out of 5 stars important part of medical history, November 8, 2008

By 

Jana Burson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Addicts Who Survived: An Oral History of Narcotic Use in America, 1923-1965 (Hardcover)

This is a great book. It contains fascinating accounts from the addicts who did survive the "classic" era of opioid addiction. As an added bonus, Drs. Dole and Nyswander have given interviews recorded in this book. This is a bit of addiction treatment history that should not be forgotten.