DUEL with the DEVIL
Viewing comments for Chapter 31 "DUEL with the DEVIL - Chapter 31"The problem of creating a non-addictive painkiller
19 total reviews
Comment from barbara.wilkey
Another close call for Brian. I am curious to see if Julia stays with him. I'm sure her mother won't allow it, but she is an adult. You did a good job writing this.
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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Another close call for Brian. I am curious to see if Julia stays with him. I'm sure her mother won't allow it, but she is an adult. You did a good job writing this.
Comment Written 27-Aug-2024
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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That's twice now he's been lucky enough that someone found him in time. He's starting to push his luck.
I don't think Julia's quite at the point of seriously thinking of leaving him yet. This is really only the first time since she's known him for three years now, that he has actually started up again on Oxy. Her mother is a different story, though, as you rightly point out.
Comment from Tom Horonzy
The overdose was expected; the knockout wasn't. Neither was the support of Jules. If I had been her I'd let him mull what he had done. Whatever, the clown selling the f-laced pills is history. I wonder how he would survive in prison.
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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The overdose was expected; the knockout wasn't. Neither was the support of Jules. If I had been her I'd let him mull what he had done. Whatever, the clown selling the f-laced pills is history. I wonder how he would survive in prison.
Comment Written 27-Aug-2024
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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You have to remember that this is the first time Julia has seen him take drugs in the three years she has known him. True, she met him in rehab, but he was tapering off then from his previous bout with them. So it isn't like he's a constant druggie, and she's finally fed up with him. I think some support from her rather than, say, an ultimatum, would be more realistic at this point in the story.
Correct about his relationship with Scorch, though.
Comment from Karen Cherry Threadgill
These dimwits are in effect killing off their client base. Thry are trying to get them super addicted, but fentanyl is too dicey for people without solid degrees in chemistry. I loved fentanyl. It worked all day for 3 days, I didn't need pills. It was great, But some people misused it, so they called it off the list. Which put me back on the constipating oxy. So, I started thinking about quitting all the Rx, Fentanyl had given me a somewhat normal life. I worked, and we were fine. But Oxy is slow death. Karen
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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These dimwits are in effect killing off their client base. Thry are trying to get them super addicted, but fentanyl is too dicey for people without solid degrees in chemistry. I loved fentanyl. It worked all day for 3 days, I didn't need pills. It was great, But some people misused it, so they called it off the list. Which put me back on the constipating oxy. So, I started thinking about quitting all the Rx, Fentanyl had given me a somewhat normal life. I worked, and we were fine. But Oxy is slow death. Karen
Comment Written 27-Aug-2024
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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That's true. I never understood why they lace drugs with fentanyl since it is so dangerous. Yeah, it may give it more bang for the buck, but killing your clients by adding too much seems awfully short-sighted.
Yep, current painkillers like Oxy and Fentanyl may kill the pain pretty well, but we sure need Brian to invent something that isn't so addictive and dangerous and still allows your brain and body to function normally.
Comment from jmdg1954
I'm caught up on the chapters...
Brian is fortunate to have a good "support staff" in Fran, Jules and Daniel. Hope he doesn't muck that up or he'll really spiral downward.
Good dialogue, to me very authentic!
Let's see where this leads Brian and crew.
Cheers,
John
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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I'm caught up on the chapters...
Brian is fortunate to have a good "support staff" in Fran, Jules and Daniel. Hope he doesn't muck that up or he'll really spiral downward.
Good dialogue, to me very authentic!
Let's see where this leads Brian and crew.
Cheers,
John
Comment Written 27-Aug-2024
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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Thanks, John. That support staff you mention is not quite complete yet, and an unknown source will also come to his aid soon. This is a very challenging time for Brian, and he will need all the help he can get to get through it.
Comment from Debbie D'Arcy
I'm so sorry, Jim, I'm out of sixes and this chapter is one of your very best! It's absolutely gripping and I really felt quite emotional during parts. I didn't expect this to happen just yet and the clear details from the doctor drive home, in the most effective way, the horrors of drug abuse and how quickly it can overcome the patient (Reminders of Jessie's girlfriend in Breaking Bad). Love the way you structure it all with the deceitful explanation at the beginning, then the seductive description of the drug's effects followed by the crash back to reality and the impact on those who love him. Superb! No edits needed of course. Take care Debbie
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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I'm so sorry, Jim, I'm out of sixes and this chapter is one of your very best! It's absolutely gripping and I really felt quite emotional during parts. I didn't expect this to happen just yet and the clear details from the doctor drive home, in the most effective way, the horrors of drug abuse and how quickly it can overcome the patient (Reminders of Jessie's girlfriend in Breaking Bad). Love the way you structure it all with the deceitful explanation at the beginning, then the seductive description of the drug's effects followed by the crash back to reality and the impact on those who love him. Superb! No edits needed of course. Take care Debbie
Comment Written 27-Aug-2024
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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No worries, Debbie. Your reviews say it all.
Perfect analogy with Jane from Breaking Bad. It also seemed to overcome her suddenly after having been sober for a period before that final binge with Jesse. Brian was lucky he was discovered in time (although Jane was too, but Walt had his own reasons for leaving her to die. That may have been the final nail in the coffin to show how low he had sunk and how much he had changed. What a masterful show that was. Even as horrible a person as he became, I still found myself kind of rooting for him even at the end. Jesse too.)
This is a challenge to make Brian a likable character, and I keep thinking, "There, but for the grace of God, go I," as I try to picture what it might be like for me if I were in the same situation.
This is only the buildup to the ultimate challenge, which will come later in Part 2, and that we already had a glimpse of in the Prologue. If he can make it through that, there may be hope for him in the long run.
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You have achieved the challenge thus far and I still find Brian likable and (worryingly for me perhaps) all too understandable:))
Comment from BethShelby
This feels so real it almost makes me sick. I can imagine how I would feel if that was my kid. I had a daughter who did some drugs and alcohol back during her teen years. She is past all that but I would still worry is she should start to need something for pain. It is good writing.
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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This feels so real it almost makes me sick. I can imagine how I would feel if that was my kid. I had a daughter who did some drugs and alcohol back during her teen years. She is past all that but I would still worry is she should start to need something for pain. It is good writing.
Comment Written 27-Aug-2024
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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Thanks very much. Well, I don't mean to make you sick, but I'm gratified you're finding it realistic. Not ever having experienced anything quite like this addiction myself, it's a lot of guesswork on my part to try to imagine how it might go for Brian.
Glad to hear your daughter got past her experience with drugs and alcohol unscathed, Beth.
Comment from Wayne Fowler
I wonder how reviewers are taking this level of drug use. From my experience, back pain is the leading 'excuse' for addicts to use pain killers.
I would expect Julia (and Fran) to lay out an ultimatum.
Best wishes.
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reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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I wonder how reviewers are taking this level of drug use. From my experience, back pain is the leading 'excuse' for addicts to use pain killers.
I would expect Julia (and Fran) to lay out an ultimatum.
Best wishes.
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The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
Comment Written 27-Aug-2024
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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They are finding it uncomfortable but also realistic. I don't think I've lost any regular readers along the way because of this theme. I think it's because Brian is a good guy who has a problem that sometimes gets the better of him, and I've teased the idea that he will attempt to find a solution to the problem. How badly can you fault a guy who seems to take his condition seriously but occasionally is overwhelmed by it?
We'll see whether or not Julia or Fran gives him an ultimatum. It would more likely be Fran. But, personally, I don't think he's at the point yet where he deserves one. Advice, yes, but an ultimatum? Not quite.
It isn't like he's constantly in the throes of his addiction and has no control over his actions and is acting irresponsibly time after time. This is only the second time in three years that he has sought out and taken Oxy illegally and gotten into trouble with it, and it wasn't only to get high but to relieve excruciating back pain that he sought out the drugs. For sure he was further incentivized by the pleasure they also afforded him, but he seems at this point to want to find a non-drug substitute for the pain (the back operation).
We'll see whether or not down the road he needs that ultimatum to get himself straight. Things may be dramatically different when we get back to that scene in the Prologue.
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I guess I'm leaning too heavily on personal experiences.
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That's understandable. You've seen some terrible things happen to people you loved.
Comment from Wendy G
The crisis came quicker than I thought. This was a dramatic and realistic chapter (unfortunately), and he was lucky that Daniel was there in time and called for an ambulance. He is aware of his weakness, but will he be strong enough o get through this. Very well written, as always.
Wendy
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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The crisis came quicker than I thought. This was a dramatic and realistic chapter (unfortunately), and he was lucky that Daniel was there in time and called for an ambulance. He is aware of his weakness, but will he be strong enough o get through this. Very well written, as always.
Wendy
Comment Written 27-Aug-2024
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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Thanks so much for this great review, Wendy, and for the six stars.
You ask a great question here. Will he be strong enough to get through this? The answer is, probably not if left entirely to his own devices. This is where a good support system can be so crucial, and it seems like he has one, but the picture isn't quite complete yet, and in the next couple of chapters, an unexpected source will come forward.
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I am enjoying this story a lot. It shows that addiction to drugs can happen easily, and to good young people. Addicts are often dismissed as hopeless young people who brought it all on themselves. Which is partially true, but not always the complete picture.
Well done on your consistently excellent writing.
Wendy
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Thanks again so much for this. Certainly addicts bear a lot of the responsibility for being addicts, but there is also growing evidence that this propensity is in the genes. It is a sickness like many other sicknesses, and it helps to keep that in mind when judging others.
Comment from Dolly'sPoems
How very sad this is and although this is fiction, this does happen to many people. We think we can cope with medicines and taking pills but it doesn't take much to tip us over the edge and we can soon die as a result. I'm glad Brian survived this time, but will he change his habits? Another fine chapter Jim, love Dolly x
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reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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How very sad this is and although this is fiction, this does happen to many people. We think we can cope with medicines and taking pills but it doesn't take much to tip us over the edge and we can soon die as a result. I'm glad Brian survived this time, but will he change his habits? Another fine chapter Jim, love Dolly x
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Comment Written 27-Aug-2024
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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Sad, but true, Dolly. I think the line from this chapter that tips us off that maybe it will be more difficult than Brian realizes is the line when he thinks, "Not tonight, though. Starting tomorrow."
Yeah, I'll get serious about it tomorrow. No problem. I'll just limit myself to a little bit starting tomorrow and I'll keep to that for a couple of months until I can get that back procedure done.
Good question: Will he change his habits?
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It is the same with those people promising to diet and lose weight, they always put it off until tomorrow and tomorrow never comes, it is a vicious circle. Changing habits takes determination, courage and tenacious focus, love Dolly x