Oral history interview with Bert F., 1980

Biographical Note

Bert F. was born in Massachusetts on February 3rd, 1906, the youngest child of three. At the age of nine, Bert and his family moved to New York City. Bert became a professional pool hustler starting in 1923, and he began traveling around the United States. Bert F. was prescribed morphine in the 1930s following a car accident in Miami, Florida that caused severe back pain. He continued to travel and play pool, while maintaining this addiction. Bert F. had multiple visits to the Lexington, KY addiction recovery hospital program, ending in 1968. He ultimately settled back in New York City and became a registered addict with the State of New York, maintaining first with Dilaudid and later methadone. Bert F. was interviewed for the project that led to the book Addicts Who Survived. The name is likely a pseudonym for the project. In the book, Bert F. was referred to by the pseudonym "Mike"

Scope and Contents

Bert F. begins by sharing his early life memories including his family's move to New York City in 1915. Bert F. discusses how he became a traveling pool hustler starting in 1923. He reflects on how in the 1930s he was injured by a car accident and was prescribed morphine to help with back pain. Bert F. examines how doctors participated in the spread of morphine addiction, how they wrote prescriptions, and sometimes were addicted too. He first recognized he was an addict after living with a nurse who was a morphine addict. He discusses obtaining opiates while traveling around the country, including extraction from Paregoric. He reveals the different ways that addicts survived during and after World War II, when access to drugs became scarce. Bert explains the process of getting clean and relapse and his visits to the Lexington, KY addiction recovery hospital program. He describes being a registered as an incurable addict with the State of New York and speaks at length about maintaining with Dilaudid and methadone

Subjects

• Billiard players.
• Courtwright, David T., 1952- interviewer.
• Drug abuse--United States--History--20th century.
• Drug addicts--United States.
• Drugs--Prescribing.
• F., Bert--Interviews.
• Interviews.
• Joseph, Herman, 1931- interviewer.
• Morphine abuse--United States--History--20th century.
• Narcotic Farm.
• Oral histories (literary works)

Access Conditions

Copyright by David Courtwright