Mad Professor

I have never taken opium, and at my age, I don't feel the need to start taking an addictive substance. But I found Opium for the Masses, by Jim Hogshire, to be fascinating. Part history, and part how-to, Hogshire looks at opium use over the centuries, how it works, and how to make opium tea from poppies that you can buy or cultivate yourself.

Excerpt:

Very potent, low cost opium is available in virtually very town in the country. It is entirely possible that it is carried by your local grocer. It's even possible that you could walk into a grocery store and come out with all the ingredients you need to make your own morphine and perhaps even heroin if you're clever.

Here's an excerpt from an Amazon review:

Following Mr. Hogshire's advice I took my self down to West 28th street and bought a bunch of dried ornamental poppies. I ground them, sifted them, made tea out of them, drank it and got as high as I have ever been. As a point of reference, I have had morphine for a broken leg; this tea was both stronger and longer lasting.

Like all narcotics occasional use led to daily use which led to addiction and to a nightmare of recovery that took over a year out of my productive life. I very nearly ruined my marriage, my career and everything else that mattered to me. Finally in abject humiliation and with the deepest gratitude I found people who could and did end my nightmare. My life is improving as is my health, but I have a long way to go to make up for the lies I told everyone including myself.

$13.95 on Amazon