Heroin Addiction: Methadone & Heroin Facts

Question: Can heroin addiction be cured by breaking the addict's back at the base of the spine?

(Posted by: Josh on 2009-02-20 21:45:06)

This is mentioned in Stephen King's The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three. "...where it was really coming from, he knew from what he had read in the medical journals, was from the bunch of living wires at the base of his spine, that place where heroin addiction takes place by causing an unnatural thickening of the nerve stem. Want to take a quick cure? ... Break your spine, Henry. Your legs stop working, and so does your cock, but you stop needing the needle right away. " If you have an answer (preferably with some proof) it would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

Posted by: Darwinall on 2009-02-20, 21:58:58

Totally made up. No basis in anatomy or physiology. Sounds like what some early doctor in 1880 might have thought. google "addiction center brain ". Addiction takes place there, not at the base of the spine. No "thickening " at the base, anyway, addict or not. There is no nerve stem. There is a brain stem...it's at the base of the brain, above the spine.

Posted by: Tink on 2009-02-20, 21:50:26

There is no reason to believe its true.

Posted by: Kimberly W on 2009-02-20, 21:50:59

Lol, no, I think you'd end up with a crippled addict! Come to think of it, I know an alcoholic/ addict (in recovery) who is in a wheelchair.

Posted by: Mrs. Duck on 2009-02-20, 22:09:15

No. The addiction center is located in the brain, not in the lower spinal nerves. Many people actually start abusing drugs once they've become crippled, to help deal with the depression and the pain. There are so many reasons why people become addicted to drugs, including heroin. There is proof now that some addicts have a natural imbalance of chemicals in the brain that can lead them to have a more addictive personality, and in turn become more psychologically dependent on illegal substances. In turn, the naturaly biochemistry of the brain does begin to change with repeated exposure to illicit drugs. This chemical change makes it difficult to quit, and also makes the reaction to the drugs become more intense over time, even if the user doesn't feel like their getting higher. The brain actually starts to need more of its natural neurotransmitters to function normally.

Posted by: Kathy on 2009-02-24, 12:07:50

There is no proof to that statement Josh. First of all, Stephen King writes fiction books. Secondly, there is no medical proof that says breaking one's spine can cure or stop heroin addiction. It is really up to the person if he/ she has the self-discipline, and control not to use prohibited drugs.