Steven Martin opens Opium Fiend with a firsthand account of the worst part of opium smoking: withdrawal. It's not his first time attempting to quit opium "cold turkey," nor will it be his last.
Martin's life with opium began when a fascination with East Asian art and culture drew him to Thailand, with regular visits to Cambodia, Vietnam and China. At first, he was drawn not to opium itself, but to the variety of paraphernalia used to smoke (or, more accurately, to vaporize) the drug. Opium Fiend reads, in its first chapters, like a love letter to the remarkable artwork of opium paraphernalia, as well as the thrill of the collector's acquisition of both new pieces and knowledge about his chosen field. It's a fascinating exploration of history as well as a good read.
Martin's passion for opium paraphernalia, however, led to another passion: smoking opium itself. Like many users, he started out by merely dabbling, but the quest to learn more about the 19th-century drug culture that produced these accoutrements led him, eventually, to a 30-pipe-a-day habit. Martin paints an intimate and straightforward portrait of his journey down this road, culminating in a realization of the most sobering fact of all: an addiction may be abstained from, but it has no real end. --Dani Alexis Ryskamp, blogger at The Book Cricket