Inspirations

For much of my early years, I was heavily into drugs. I sold drugs—I used drugs. They were a major part of my life. If I had lived in the Philippines in present times, I might be dead, due to the war on drugs, by President Rodrigo Duterte. For the people living there, there are few refuges. I had no such problems in the 1970s. I had married a woman who sold drugs and like them perhaps better than I did. But that is all behind me.

I have written three books on the war on drugs. Two are non-fiction books that deal directly with that issue. I also wrote a fictional book on the drugs used by a main character. So today I have to look back on a period of my life that was less than perfect. Perhaps that was not the best use of my years. But I can’t reverse them. Even today I hate those who treat drug users as sub-human. Humans deserve to be treated has human beings, whether they use drugs, take part in prostitution or some other vice. We are all human and we all deserve the respect of being human. My stand on drug use is that it may have its draw bucks, but people have a right to be treated as humans, with full dignity. These articles reflect some of those opinions I still have.   

Here are the various liquors I find inspiring for an author;

Absinthe -The drink that motivated  Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and many other artists. It has the flavor of bitter wormwood. Although technically wormwood has a drug in it, the drink has almost no affects from it. The drug high is mostly psychological. But it has a rich history and wild tales that go with it. To drink it is to drink history.

Mescal- a drink from Mexico, much like tequila only less refined and has a grub in each bottle. I recommend eating it. The drink has its own magic qualities. The maguey, from which the drink is made, was one of the most sacred plants in pre-Hispanic Mexico, and had a privileged position in religious rituals, mythology and the economy.

Cognac- Another favorite of Toulouse-Lautrec. It’s not that magical or unusual. But it is a good drink.

Mead- A honey wine that is probably one of the oldest wines in history. It is best when home made. It can be infused with many different herbs. The possibilities are endless. Ancient warriors in Europe and the English Ilse often drank it before battles. Mead has played an important role in the beliefs and mythology of some peoples. One such example is the Mead of Poetry, a mead of Norse mythology crafted from the blood of the wise being Kvasir which turns the drinker into a poet or scholar. In the Old English epic poem Beowulf, the Danish warriors drank mead. 

Laudanum- Today it usually has to be homemade, although there are variations that can be bought with a prescription. It is opium diluted in alcohol. It too has a fascinating history. It was legal to buy until the 20^th century. The 19th century English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a heavy user of Laudanum.

Codiene comes in many forms.