International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking: Here are 5 works Written Under the Influence

The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking every year, recognized by the UN, is an “expression of its determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse.” And while the detrimental effects of drugs on the human body are well documented, there has been a number of writers who have produced some of the greatest literature, while under the influence of drugs.

Here's taking a look at books or other works written while under the influence:

Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge: According to Coleridge's preface to Kubla Khan, the poem was composed one night after he experienced an opium-influenced dream after reading a work describing Xanadu, the summer palace of the Mongol ruler and Emperor of China Kublai Khan. During the time of its publication, people looked at it like the quintessential Romantic poem, which was at the same time, spontaneous, passionate and beyond conscious control.

Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre: Being and Nothingness is regarded as both the most important non-fiction expression of Sartre's existentialism and his most influential philosophical work. Sartre used to try mescaline as a means to get a new look on reality and explore his consciousness and the effects can be found in his novel Nausea as well.

Works by Stephen King during the 1980s: The author has never shied away from admitting to his drug addiction during the 1980s and can barely remember writing some of his best works. Some of them are It, The Dark Tower, Pet Sematary, and The Stand.

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: The author who lived in the Victorian times used laudanum (opium with alcohol) as a form of treatment. There are theories that the book is so genius because it was the description of a drug trip.

Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs: The surrealistic novel has influenced poets, musicians, and other addicts for a good part of the 20th century and sees Burroughs using addiction as a key metaphor for human existence.

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