SYNOPSIS
Confessions of an English Opium Eater (1821) was an instant classic and is still one of the most important books about drugs and addiction. It relates to Thomas De Quincey’s early life and experiences of opium addiction at a time when drug was widely used for the relief of pain, and before it’s addictive qualities were properly understood. It is a work which encompasses amusement with nightmare as the author experiences in turn the marvels of opium induced drrams and the equally vivid nightmares which are their counterpoint.
