Hi, in my novel, there is a guy who is addicted to drugs. he takes drugs, passes out, and wakes up in the middle of the night in the janitor's closet (he is the janitor). He then, half in a stupor, stumbles into a room where a rape is taking place and the rapist quickly kills both him and the girl he was raping. I don't know much about drugs, but basically I need a drug which allows: - the janitor to take it, pass out, and wake up four hours later in a daze but able to walk (he took a bigger hit than usual because he was depressed about his personal life - hence the passing out) - when the janitor is murdered, and the crime scene found the next day, I need a drug so that (without blood tests) it's obvious the janitor had a hit of drugs before he was killed. what visible signs would there be that he had been using drugs before his murder? things that would stand out as odd or unusual. if any drugs come to mind, I'd appreciate if you could tell me and explain the visible signs caused by use of the drug.
Alcohol immediately comes to mind. Makes him black out and wake up later, and he's spilled alcohol on himself and reeks of booze when he's found murdered. Also, maybe there's an empty bottle of the alcohol he was drinking nearby too. I realize it's probably a bit less original than what you were aiming for, but it's an old favorite for situations like this.
you're looking for downers then obviously i second the alcohol suggestion if you're looking for an easy, semi-generic explaination of a black out. opiates can have a very strong dissociative & coma-like inducing effect in high enough doses, at least for my personal experience. it also makes a person pretty damn sluggish & weak. hypothetically, i could fight pretty okay if i woke up half-drunk & hung-over, but not very well if i was still half-high on codiene or the like. but my experiences may not be typical. it also has the benefit of a vaguely exotic connotation that might be more intriguing than alchy. fresh & obvious needle track marks could indicate recent drug use PCP can sure as hell produce a black out, but i don't think ppl high on pcp are too sedentary usually... same w/ salvia can't really think of anymore, hmm..
Any particular reason why no blood test? Just curious. If a body is found a toxicologist always runs blood work so you would find out anyways. Anyways. Alcohol seems like your best bet. A large dose of a hard drug in an area you haven't used before greatly increases your chance of death from the drug alone. I can't remember the name of the theory off hand but I learned about it in my neuroscience/ psycho pharmacology class. With hard drugs you're getting into a whole mess of things.
I agree, but i also think the danger of a hard drug might better lend itself to the ambience of the whole rape/murder situation. altho, i'm sure it'd require more research than alcohol & might undermine suspension of disbelief by seeming too conveniently dark alongside the proceeding events. idk, interesting... edit: and also, the increased likelyhood of an aberant drug experience would seem to help explain the "he took a bigger hit than usual" thing vinniram refered to. that might actually work
Maybe. But keep in mind that this story is most likely about the murder and not the drug. (though I could be wrong) In the end he'll have to research both and figure out what works for the story. Most likely after the scene it'll be forgotten anyways.
Absolutely, but every little boost to the overall aura of a work is always worth considering. I personally put painstaking effort into the realism & existentialism of my vignettes, even tho i full anticipate they'll make little lasting impression on the reader. i don't forfeit the chance to tweak minor details, even if they're relatively insignificant. don't actually think it'd require much research. it's a relatively common drug (heroin at least), & id think it should be relatively easy to confirm whether its capable of the desired effect by a doctor w/ a couple seconds to spare. it seems like an issue of "banal & accepted w/o thought" vs "mildly exotic but possibly a little too dark to be believable", something like that. a subtle difference either way
Well the only ones that would cause you to pass out over any period of time would be Meth, Heroine and pain killers. Plus they are mainstream.
Try having him snort crushed up percocets. that would have the hangover effect, and you could add a little quip in there about how he never even felt a thing (its a painkiller drug)
All drugs are mainstream, that's redundant. even then, heroin is obviously less common/more exotic than alcohol, if only in varying shades of gray. subtle stylistic choices do make a cumulative difference in the long run. ive never heard of anyone passing out from meth - only staying up for days on end - but my friend seems to think it's possible... painkillers are definitely plausible, i could imagine that, but i can only attest as to the effects of morphine/opium-derivatives, which i have personal experience w/. alcohol is always a convenient, unquestioned explaination of a black-out if it ends up being too much of a hassle, as i said in my first post
DMT isn't mainstream, "mainstream drugs" may be a very broad brush term and contain a lot of drugs, but really you should never treat alcohol and cigarettes in the same way as illegal narcotics.
For him to take a big hit and then pass out that fast, it would probably have to be an opiate such as heroin. Your janitor could have purchased a balloon and injected it. He would really pass out, but he'd be in like an opiate half sleep.
Opiates. Those are your best bet on that. I've taken oxycontin while in the hospital (major surgery) it really puts you in a stupor. Plus it's very addictive, a downer, and really powerful.
