Opiate Addiction

"I couldn't get into smoking that stuff. It's become a national problem in China."
"How so?"
"So much so, the Leong clan is the only one which hasn't taken it. If only I could free my countrymen from its grip."
"Then?"
"Someday we'll shake off the shackles that the Brits have put on the rest of the world. If only the Tangguo would follow the Castovers' example."

Transmission & Vectors

Overconsumption of opium is the main transmission of its addiction.

Causes

In many cases, opiate addiction resulted from overzealous use of it for painkilling treatments.
Other addicts appear to have gotten it from illegal trade or excessive use in mystical rituals.
Still others turn to opium in order to escape to a dream world where they are happy.

Symptoms

"It's like the Lotus Eater, the poor fellow is in an eternal dream which is hard to wake."

Behavioral

Opiate addicts are so drawn to the happy rush that they will seek out more doses as time goes by. They will become fairly evasive about the clandestine purpose their painkillers are used for.

Physical

Opiate addicts tend to have a certain look about them. Often described as shifty due to their changed thinking, they will usually end up neglecting their personal appearances.

Cognitive

Opiates being a drug to dull focus so that patients will not cry out in pain, addicts will have a similarly poor focus and slowed wits.

Psychosocial

If not taken care of, opiate addicts will often be lost in a world of their own, and lash out against those who try to bring them back to reality.

Treatment

Many doctors and healers, not knowing better, often immediately force patients to go cold turkey. This backfires quite often.
A group of clerics from the Misericorde Order have tried more humane treatment programs, treating the patient as being in a treatable phase instead of doomed to failure.

Prognosis

If the addict isn't detected in time, they will progressively over consume opiates to the point where they poison themselves and die.

Prevention

Careful dosage of painkillers is a fine line that doctors have yet to perfect, considering rudimentary surgery techniques in the world.

Epidemiology

It has become a major problem in China, according to locals who arrived in the New World.

Cultural Reception

The Castover pirates don't particularly care for opium as they prefer to get drunk off alcohol.

Type

Chemical Compound

Origin

Natural

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Uncommon

Affected Species

• Human