Pipe Addiction
"Tenses muddled in Karn's mind, but they didn't matter so he let them go. Nothing mattered. That was the beauty of the pipe and the hanid inside it. It was about remembering a time before, looking back on it or living in it wasn't the important part, but not getting caught up on the worries of now. "
Cause
Pipe addiction is badly named as it is not the pipe that the addiction is formed around but a compound which is formed by inhaling the smoke of Hanid, the plant which is dried and smoked in a Macran Pipe.
Smoking the pipe can be safe, however regular abuse of it can quickly lead to neuroplasticity that causes the brain to rewire itself and so the addiction is formed.
Symptoms
As Dream Sharing and other activities based around the Macran Pipe are common on P'Ache Micro, recognising the signs of pipe addiction is extremely difficult. It is very easy for someone to pass from regular use into addiction without realising it themselves. However, there are some things to watch out for.In Yourself
- Awareness that you're spending a lot of time thinking about smoking the pipe
- Feeling guilty or bad about the amount of time you spend smoking the pipe
- Choosing to smoke rather than engage with the other parts of your life
- The pipe being the first thing you think about when you wake up
In Someone Else
- Smoking more than a couple of times a week
- Unwilling to spend time with people without the pipe
- Smoking alone regularly
- Unable to differentiate between memories and now
- Paranoia and increased mood swings
Long Term Affects of Pipe Addiction
Smoking hanid using the Macran pipe has been proven to have the following mid- to long-term effects, some positive and some negative. These effects vary depending on the method that a person uses for smoking.
Slowly
Positive
- Lowering blood pressure
- Reduced inflamation
- Treating anxiety
- Treating gastrointestinal disorders
Negative
- Paranoia
- Reduced lung capacity
- Reduced fertility
- Mood swings
- Increased chance of mental illness
Quickly
Positive
- Preventing seizures
- Reduced inflamation
- Reduces heart and kidney issues
Negative
- High blood pressure
- Mood swings
- Memory problems
- Weakening ammune system
- Reduce mental capacity
- Amnesia
Treatment
There has never been a method of treating pipe addiction which has been successfully proven to work. There are various folk remedies, including the smoking of other substances as a replacement or the application of the entrails of various types of fish to the person's head and chest. But these are mostly unsuccessful.
The only way in which people have managed to avoid the lasting effects of pipe addiction is by giving up the pipe immediately and never partaking in it again. This has physical side effects and is extremely difficult due to the role the Macran Pipe plays in Macran culture. It is a daily battle but can prevent the long-term impact the addiction can have.
Prevention
The best way to prevent pipe addiction is to ensure that a person is not smoking a pipe more than twice a week and leaving a gap of at least a day between these sittings. This prevents the chemicals in the hanid smoke from having sufficient time to rewire the brain and so any apparent addiction is merely a habit and not altered brain chemistry.Societal Impact
A person who is found to suffer from pipe addiction is seen by most Macrans as someone to be pitied. They are considered a person who did not know their limits to start with and are now dealing with the consequences. This is obviously not the case most of the time, but as the person in question is rarely strong enough mentally to argue the point, the general consensus is held to be true.Social Pastime
Despite the potential dangers of smoking it, the Macran Pipe remains a staple of Macran Culture. It was, and still is, seen as a social device which encourages people to open up and connect with each other. Activities like Dream Sharing have often been looked at as the cornerstone of Macran society as they facilitate connections between people.Related Articles
| Locations | Nuskan, P'Ache Micro, P'Ache Solar System, Peacekeeper Territories |
|---|---|
| People | Macran, Primian |
| Culture | Macran Pipe, Hanid, Dream Sharing, Macran Culture 271 PT - 357 PT |
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