Columbia Center for Oral History Portal > Oral history interview with Sam X, 1980Biographical NoteSam X was born in Manhattan, New York in 1912. His parents were second-generation Russian immigrants. Sam attended, and was expelled from, seven different schools in his youth, including private schools in New York City, Stamford, Connecticut and Westchester, and a military academy in Indiana. At sixteen years of age, he had stopped attending school, and began working as a merchant of women's products in his family's business. He got married in 1933. Sam began experiencing debilitating migraines at the age of thirty-three, and was treated with Demerol at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He quickly became addicted to Demerol, then began using Alvodine, and later barbiturates such as Seconal, Tuinal, and Placidyl. After a suicide attempt in the early 1960s, Sam stayed in the Institute of Living in Hartford, Connecticut for five months. He then moved back to the city, and continued using drugs, visiting several private hospitals such as Gracie Square Hospital, the Bernstein Institute for detox. He joined the methadone program around 1970, and has attended four different methadone programs. Chronologically, these programs were: Gracie Square methadone program, Lincoln Detox, the Arnoldo Mora Clinic, and the Dr. Carcass Clinic. Sam X 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, Sam X was referred to by the pseudonym "Sam"
Scope and ContentsIn this interview, Sam X discusses his life in New York City, with respect to his drug addiction. He describes his upbringing, and his difficulty in school. He discusses getting severe migraines starting at the age of thirty-three, and visiting many hospitals for treatment, including Montefiore Headache Clinic, Mount Sinai Headache Clinic, Lahey Clinic, and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He describes how, through treatment for his headaches, he became addicted to Demerol, Alvodine, and later, to barbiturates such as Seconal, Tuinal, and Placidyl. He compares the effects of Demerol and Alvodine. He describes the way his self-perception changed when he realized he was addicted to drugs. Sam describes how he paid off pharmacists in order to obtain large prescriptions of these drugs. He discusses experiencing depression during periods where he was drug free. He discusses his two suicide attempts, after one of which he went to stay in the Institute of Living in Hartford, Connecticut for five months. He discusses visiting several private hospitals for drug detox, such as Gracie Square Hospital, the Bernstein Institute. Sam discusses joining the Gracie Square methadone program around 1970, and being transferred to three other programs: Lincoln Detox, the Arnoldo Mora Clinic, and the Dr. Carcass Clinic. Sam gives his opinion on the effectiveness of methadone treatment
SubjectsAccess ConditionsCopyright by David Courtwright
| |
