ABSTRACT
At the very heart of the twilight world of drug addiction is the archetypal junkie, a nebulous figure misunderstood both by drug takers and by others. To the straight world, the addict is variously seen as a depraved criminal and as a sick person in need of help; but the addict is often a fiction even to themselves. The fascination of the addict attaches not to the person who is dependent upon drugs, but to their fabulous shadow.
