Kathryn Downey: "Dear Caroline Yoachim: Why the Opioid Crisis Needs the SF Treatment"

Dear Caroline Yoachim: Why the Opioid Crisis Needs the SF Treatment

By Kathryn Downey

            The Opioid Crisis lies at the forefront of American political discussions as it caused over 42,000 deaths in 2016 alone. This issue is so pressing that it desperately needs to be looked at from a different viewpoint to find new solutions. However, there are many inaccurate, preconceived notions about who uses drugs, what addiction is, and how it should be treated. SF can address addiction in a new environment that provides distance from these stigmas and allows for a new understanding of the subject.

To understand the opioid crisis we must address is how addiction begins. Many people start with prescription medication provided by their doctor to treat an injury. After the injury is healed and the need for the medication is gone, some users unintentionally become dependant on the drug. This can happen to anyone, but the negative stigma shames those suffering from addiction and prevents many from seeking help. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick faced this issue through the Penfield Mood Organ. This device allowed users to artificially create emotions like euphoria to conceal their sadness or pain. For many, this became a constant necessity because when they turned off the Mood Organ, they would be forced face their suppressed emotions and risk entering a depression. The Mood Organ demonstrates an opioid-like addiction that was seen as a regular part of life that could have useful benefit, but everyone was at risk of it developing into a serious problem.

Another component of the opioid issue that produces discussion is how to treat an invisible illness. An opioid addiction, like many mental health problems, show little to no outward symptoms but needs to be treated in the same way as a physical ailment or disease. Sheer willpower is not enough to solve it and continuous assistance through counseling and support groups must be provided. While this problem may seem intangible and difficult to grasp, science fiction gives individuals the ability to display their emotions visually. In “Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers” by Alyssa Wong, a daughter is raised to use negative emotions as her motivation instead of surrounding herself with loving, supportive friends. This internal struggle is shown physically as she just so happens to be a Lovecraftian being who literally feasts negativity. Wong describes this saying “The ugly thoughts crawl over the tops of her hands, iridescent drops spilling into her soy sauce dish”. The ability for ugly thoughts to act out materially allows the reader to have a better understanding of the complex emotions at hand. This same, SF technique would be just as useful to turn the invisible illness into something a reader can see and understand.

These vital parts of the opioid crisis can not be glossed over when talking about the issue and many SF stories fall short in one way or another when attempting to address it. Star Trek: the Next Generation has a reputation for less than subtle political allegories and holo-diction was no exception. In Hollow Pursuits, Lieutenant Barclay becomes absorbed in a fictional, holodeck world he created. This quickly transitions from a helpful coping mechanism into an addiction as he begins to prefer this escapism to his real life. Barclay overcomes his addiction when he starts to make friends with other crew members and decides he no longer needs the holodeck. While Next Gen did a good job of showing how easy it is to become addicted and stressed the importance of a support group when dealing with addiction, it fell short of what was fully needed to explore this issue. While Barclay may have quickly decided he doesn’t need the holodeck anymore, opioid addicts develop a physical need to use the substance which can outweigh any willpower and lead to a relapse. While this episode was a noble attempt in SF at tackling such a complex issue, it lacked a complete understanding of addiction recovery which is vital to addressing the Opioid Crisis.

In essence, the opioid crisis is an ever increasing issue that needs to be addressed without preconceived notions about what it means to be an addict and how addiction can start or end. Science fiction provides this opportunity by showing worlds that probe the issues inherent in opioid addiction, but with enough differences from the given world that these stigmas are left behind.