[UA] Life Expectancy of Narcomancers (was re: End of the World)

[James Ganong]

It would depend on the nature of the drugsused & how quickly the adept
degenerated.  IV drug addicts in countries where they can get clean
needles, quality
controlled drugs at reasonable cost, etc, can live quite a long time.
In the US, the high cost of the drugs leads to some compromises in
lifestyle (do I eat or shoot up?) + risky behavior to earn money (ie
prostitution), while the lack of clean needles leads to infections.
It's these factors more than the drugs themselves that lead IV drug
users into health problems (I'm a pharmacist at a hospital that does
drug rehab, so I see this alot.)
Narcomancers who had financial resources could therefore last qute a
while.

Cocaine is more expensive than heroin, so could lead to financial decay
faster;  snorting causes certain kinds of damage to the nasal passages,
while smoking crack puts stress on the heart.  Narcs
going this route would probably burn out faster, physically;  there are
also mental
effects of course.

Amphetamines are cheaper than cocaine, but even more lkely to cause
cardiac damage & mental problems;  another path to quick burn-out.

Hallucinogens are generally less likely to cause physical damage, but
would impose greater impairment penalties while under the influence, &
would take longer to kick in.  Such characters would be hard pressed to
charge up rapidly in game.

Hope this is helpful.


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