Life… injecting it or sucking it away?
Sarah Bingham
During my G.P Attachment, a patient who was on methadone maintenance treatment came to the surgery. At one point, heroin had become her life; it was the only thing she lived for every day. But now she realizes that instead of enhancing her life and taking away the pain, it was gradually ruining her life, stripping it of everything that mattered to her, until all that was left was her addiction.
I wanted to portray this in a painting. I focused on the idea of a syringe being able to inject and suck, in the same way that the liquid in the syringe (heroin) was injecting a new lease of life into this girl whilst simultaneously sucking it out of her. I used newspaper letters to make the writing stand out over the oil painting and I chose to write a question so that the viewer has to make up their own mind about the scenario being shown.
GP Attachment
This was the piece that struck me first. I believe you have presented the problems associated with drug addiction in a very profound way. At this time, I personally have very little experience of meeting those with a drug addiction. However, this picture made me sit back and think about what a complex situation it is to be in and the difficulties that doctors face in guiding a patient through rehabilitation. I like the use of subdued colours and the newspaper cut outs.
This immediately caught my eye when looking through the paintings. The oxymoronic quality makes the viewer really think about the situation in a lot more depth than would first be considered. It highlights how there is so much more behind drug addiction and the doctor must take this into account in order to fully understand how their patient has got to this position. I feel it is very easy for a lot of people to immediately judge someone in this position, however because this has such a depth to it it highlights how there are so many layers which must each be treated individually and so many factors which must be taken into account. The use of newspaper I feel gives it a ‘rougher’ edge and also contrasts against the artistic detail of the painting.
This depiction of addiction particularly struck me looking through the different pieces of work. In society there is an attitude which has strongly stigmatized addiction and treats this taboo subject as a moral failing rather an illness or considering any of its complexities. I find the portrayal of the patients viewpoint particularly arresting as it gives a striking insight into the complex issue of addiction as illustrated by the question of the effect of drug taking – was it giving a lease of life, or slowly draining it away? I think that it would be valuable to doctors to have a more astute viewpoint of the nature of addiction so as to be able to engage with the patient without making a knee-jerk judgement to them.
I found this piece of work really striking, the shocking message that it is conveying is done with real simplicity. I find the use of newspaper letters mirrors the disorder and confusion that is often seen in the lives of drug addicts. Also the use of red background on the left gives the painting a malevolent vibe.I particularly enjoy the question “injecting it in or sucking it away?” because it draws your attention back to the individuals purpose of taking drugs in the first place which can often be over looked.
This is indeed an amazing piece of work! I really love the idea of the syringe injecting a new lease of life while at the same time sucking it away. This idea clearly illustrates to me that at the end of the day, it is still up to us to make the final decision on our wellbeing. One may choose to remain addicted for life so long as they feel better, while others might try to overcome their own addiction. Besides, I really like the newspaper letters because it potrays an idea of life being imperfect.
This piece immediately stood out to me as I’ve known people in similar positions and feel like addiction in general has a large stigma. The use of a simple 6 word phrase highlights the path a user goes through and provides a unique perspective for us as a society in understanding their plight. i like the way the syringe, a simple medical tool, is used as a two way device having the potential to take the user to either extreme side of the spectrum of “life”. The newspaper cuttings subtly hint to the severity of the issue at hand and forces the viewer to consider for themselves how they feel. The way something so complex has been deconstructed and made identifiable with the common person is wonderful.
I found this piece to be extremely striking and explicit in the way it conveys drug addiction. It overtly states “life – injecting it or sucking it away”. I believe this clearly highlights the complexity of addiction. The contrast between the syringe injecting or sucking the life out of someone is very much dependent on perspective.
For example, an addict may feel like they need these drugs to stay alive. They may have started using illicit substances because of mental health problems, trouble at home, school and work, grief, poverty or unexpected homelessness. In contrast a health professional knows of the damage drugs can do to the body and so can see how substance abuse harms a user physically, mentally and emotionally.
To summarise, I believe the key message that is demonstrated here is to not judge someone who is suffering from addiction, you do not know their story and the journey they have been on. Therefore, when treating patients who struggle with their addiction to drugs, I believe it is a practitioner’s duty to remain unprejudiced and treat them with the same respect and dignity as any other patient.
The thing with addiction is it gives as much as it takes – this piece captures that perfectly. Addictive substances & behaviours are fuelled by the ‘life’ they give, be it drugs or gambling – they give you a high. They are followed by huge lows & losses as well as isolation – they suck all the joy, the life away as quickly as they give it. Addiction works just like a syringe. I think this is a very good representation also as the syringe is already linked to heroine addiction so the piece seems very complete.
I also noticed the blue trousers of the addict, this may be coincidental but they do look a lot like scrub trousers. This may represent the serious issue of drug addiction & alcoholism amongst healthcare professionals, where the doctor is also a patient.
This is an eye catching piece and I think shows almost a moment of hesitation of the person. It feels almost as though they are questioning does this help or does this harm me as well as the juxtaposition between the few minutes or hours were it makes them feel alive but at the same time is slowly killing them.
I like how you’ve used newspaper cut outs as I think it can speak to the judgement of their loved ones. The way the only capital letters are in the word ‘life’ though I think shows that all they want is for them to live and be happy.
This piece was immediately striking and I think it depicts the complexities of addiction very well. The word ‘life’ displayed across the arm shows the conflict faced during addiction, between the drive and ‘life’ from using addictive substances in contrast to the damage they do. I think the syringe is a perfect analogy of this friction, as it can give but also take away. The use of letters from newspapers was an additional interesting element that I interpret as showing societies views and opinions on people facing addiction – they are unfortunately seen as more of a news headline than a person.
I think that the representation of addiction through the syringe was very clever due to the double meaning of both giving the woman the feeling of life and also taking it away. It clearly demonstrates the complexities of addiction and alludes to how quickly it can spiral out of control. The yellow is also bright and contrasts the blue background of the joggers which highlights the importance that the person feels that addiction had in her life. Additionally the use of collage for the lettering could illustrate that it is gradually taking aspects of their life away in fragments. It is also an incredibly important issue to discuss due to the stigma around illicit drug addictions.
This piece is very beautiful. I especially like representation of the juxtaposition of her opposing thoughts through the use of the syringe. Addiction is a very prevalent problem in modern society and it can be difficult to even acknowledge the possession of an addiction in the first place. It requires action to break an addiction which I think you have represented very well with the question of “injecting it or sucking it away?”. I think these are thoughts of the addict around their mental fortitude – to see if they can quit. As many have said “one day or day one”.
This was the piece that caught my attention. The nuance of the needle not going directly into the wrist shows to me that there may be some inkling of hope deep within this individual, however this is overshadowed by his addiction. I appreciate also the idea of drugs giving you ‘life’ as well; I can imagine that some addicts feel this way at the start but quickly lose control as their habits become something more and out of control.