>Finally, Heroin - by peculiar mechanism - robs the addict of his metaphysical vitality - I am being quite serious. People in the throes of addiction are no longer fully human - in the sense that their capacity to feel, to value LIFE itself or the myriad rewards of living in the world.

These words resonate deeply with me. I watched a person I knew closely gradually descend into addiction - first oxy, then heroin. The particular way in which opioids diminish a man is profound and horrifying