Fatal attraction: A narrative of early opioid addiction

Abstract

Norway’s first clinic to treat drug abuse was established in 1961. Most patients had been initiated into drug use through the healthcare system, i.e., in an iatrogenic manner. However, we know little about the drug users from this period. Here, we present an in-depth interview with a woman born into a wealthy family in the early 1920s who developed a heavy morphine addiction. In the course of the interview, she gradually reveals how her husband, who was a physician, as well as two other physicians, who were also erotically attracted to her, had key roles in this development. The narrative illustrates and elaborates how females from the upper strata of society with close links to male physicians may have been at particular risk of opioid misuse in the period before 1960. We now witness a new wave of iatrogenic drug abuse, particularly in the USA. We suggest that experiences from this period may again be relevant.