In Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World, ‘soma’ is the name of a drug that is used by the dystopian government to control its citizens. In real life, the effects of soma addiction are just as life-consuming and damaging.
Soma is the US trade name of the drug carisoprodol, a muscle relaxant that acts upon the central-nervous system. When used properly under a doctor’s direction, this medication can help ease the sufferingof individuals with injuries or painful muscular conditions; however, when used improperly for recreational purposes the drug can cause physical dependence and lead the user to a downward spiral that can only be escaped through drug rehab.
Discovered in 1960, Soma and similar muscle relaxing drugs were a popular choice of drug abusers throughout that decade. Today drugs such as Soma are often used by teenagers who find it easier to obtain and abuse otherwise legally prescribed pharmaceuticals relative to so called “street” drugs. Because Soma is often taken in conjunction with alcohol or other pharmaceuticals by these recreational users, the drugs’ impairing effects on motor control and mental acuity become dangerously increased. This can lead to overdose and in some cases death, such as the 2005 case of Mesa, Arizona teenager Adam Hall (as reported by the Partnership for a Drug Free America). Cases of such abuse are all to common; over 2 million US residents admitted to using Soma for non-medical purposes in a recent national drug survey.
Unfortunately, those who start-out intentionally abusing Soma are not the only ones who suffer the consequences of dependence. Often times individuals who at one point were prescribed Soma legally are the ones who fall victim to addiction. Because of the its chemical interactions in the brain, individuals taking Soma build up a tolerance to the drug and consequently must gradual increase their dosage in order to experience its intended pain relieving properties. This contributes to creating a physical dependence which makes it incredibly difficult for users to stop, even when Soma is no longer medically necessary or safe to continue taking.
Withdrawals from Soma can cause painful physical and mental side effects and frequently leads the former patient to engage in drug-seeking behavior such as lying to doctors in order obtain another, non medically necessary prescription for the drug.
Because of these physiological and sociological effects of withdrawal, treatment for Soma addiction is typically handled through a rehabilitation facility where patients can be properly monitored and, if necessary, given stabilizing medication to prevent any permanent neurological side effects. Through intensive drug rehab, coupled with therapy to help patients deal with the underlying issues of addiction and to assist them in coping with a post-addiction lifestyle, Soma addiction can be overcome and its former abusers can return to a normal lifestyle.
In Brave New World, it was only after throwing out their soma that characters could see the world for what it really was. With proper rehabilitation, those addicted to Soma can similarly break through the drug’s pharmaceutically induced haze and once more live their lives the way want – free of Soma addiction.
