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House: A Not-So Merry Little Christmas
The episode "Merry Little Christmas" finds Dr. House not so joyous himself as his sources of Vicodin are drying up. Aware of his little problem, his comrades have cut him off and informed the D.A., who has offered him a deal that would necessitate his going into rehab for two months.
House begins to exhibit some very characteristic symptoms of opiate withdrawal as he tries unsuccessfully to score more Vicodin. When drug addicts are accustomed to a particular level of drugs in their system and this level begins to fall, they experience the symptoms known as withdrawal symptoms. And this is exactly what's happening to Dr. House. We see him looking unkempt and miserable, complaining of nausea and vomiting. Abdominal pain, sweating, shaking, and rapid breathing are some of the other symptoms he's undoubtedly experiencing.
House being House, he still manages to diagnose a very rare condition in a case that has stumped his partners, despite his symptoms. Since withdrawal symptoms don't necessarily interfere with intellectual acuity, we'll just assume that his superhuman brainpower, which served him well throughout his addiction, is still working just fine, thank you.
He's certainly still clever enough to try to figure out some creative ways to get more Vicodin -- again, something not unusual for a highly-functioning addict. The bogus visit to a 24-hour clinic, armed with a convenient excuse regarding why all the milder pain meds won't work, and the attempt to steal another (deceased, in this case!) person's pills are both tried-and-true ways that addicts survive. Again, House being House, he eventually finds a way to dupe a pharmacist into letting him pick up drugs intended for the deceased cancer patient.
House enjoys Christmas Eve alone with a bottle of pills and a fifth of some form of liquid comfort, ending up in a pool of his own vomit. When Wilson finds him, it's odd that he leaves him there, since there is a great danger of overdose and death when relapsing drug abusers take more drugs to try to overcome withdrawal symptoms. I suppose he figures (rightly, as it happened) that House would pick himself up from yet another crisis, but still, that was quite a risk. Obviously Wilson has issues of his own, but he's just a supporting character, so we'll leave those alone for now.
Should House go into rehab? It would certainly make more sense than what he's doing now. In rehab centers, detoxification from drug addiction is carried out under medical supervision, with the aid of medications to manage the withdrawal symptoms. The teaser shown at the end suggests House will in fact be in rehab soon, which is bound to provide him (and the viewer) with some interesting escapades.
Related Topics:Rehab's Role in Treating Addiction The Price Tag of Chronic Pain
Technorati Tags: House, Dr. Gregory House, Vicodin, Drug Rehab
House begins to exhibit some very characteristic symptoms of opiate withdrawal as he tries unsuccessfully to score more Vicodin. When drug addicts are accustomed to a particular level of drugs in their system and this level begins to fall, they experience the symptoms known as withdrawal symptoms. And this is exactly what's happening to Dr. House. We see him looking unkempt and miserable, complaining of nausea and vomiting. Abdominal pain, sweating, shaking, and rapid breathing are some of the other symptoms he's undoubtedly experiencing.
House being House, he still manages to diagnose a very rare condition in a case that has stumped his partners, despite his symptoms. Since withdrawal symptoms don't necessarily interfere with intellectual acuity, we'll just assume that his superhuman brainpower, which served him well throughout his addiction, is still working just fine, thank you.
He's certainly still clever enough to try to figure out some creative ways to get more Vicodin -- again, something not unusual for a highly-functioning addict. The bogus visit to a 24-hour clinic, armed with a convenient excuse regarding why all the milder pain meds won't work, and the attempt to steal another (deceased, in this case!) person's pills are both tried-and-true ways that addicts survive. Again, House being House, he eventually finds a way to dupe a pharmacist into letting him pick up drugs intended for the deceased cancer patient.
House enjoys Christmas Eve alone with a bottle of pills and a fifth of some form of liquid comfort, ending up in a pool of his own vomit. When Wilson finds him, it's odd that he leaves him there, since there is a great danger of overdose and death when relapsing drug abusers take more drugs to try to overcome withdrawal symptoms. I suppose he figures (rightly, as it happened) that House would pick himself up from yet another crisis, but still, that was quite a risk. Obviously Wilson has issues of his own, but he's just a supporting character, so we'll leave those alone for now.
Should House go into rehab? It would certainly make more sense than what he's doing now. In rehab centers, detoxification from drug addiction is carried out under medical supervision, with the aid of medications to manage the withdrawal symptoms. The teaser shown at the end suggests House will in fact be in rehab soon, which is bound to provide him (and the viewer) with some interesting escapades.
Related Topics:
Technorati Tags: House, Dr. Gregory House, Vicodin, Drug Rehab
