--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I feel that any form of so called…" description: "\"I feel that any form of so called psychotherapy is strongly contraindicated for addicts. The question Why did you start using narcotics in the first pl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/william-s-burroughs-528_addict_i-feel-that-any-form-of-so-called-psycho_308829.jpg" --- # I feel that any form of so called psychotherapy is… ![“I feel that any form of so called psychotherapy is strongly contraindicated for addicts. The question Why did you start using narcotics in the first place? should never be asked. It is quite as irrelevant to treatment as it would be to ask a malarial patient why he went to a malarial area.” quote by William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/william-s-burroughs-528_addict_i-feel-that-any-form-of-so-called-psycho_308829.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/william-s-burroughs-528_addict_i-feel-that-any-form-of-so-called-psycho_308829.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/william-s-burroughs-528_addict_i-feel-that-any-form-of-so-called-psycho_308829.jpg) > “I feel that any form of so called psychotherapy is strongly contraindicated for addicts. The question Why did you start using narcotics in the first place? should never be asked. It is quite as irrelevant to treatment as it would be to ask a malarial patient why he went to a malarial area.” [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that asking addicts why they started using drugs is as irrelevant as asking a malaria patient why they entered a malaria zone, suggesting such questions hinder treatment. **In simple terms:** Questioning addicts' origins is unhelpful and irrelevant to recovery. Key Takeaway Avoid irrelevant probing; focus on effective treatment. Themes addiction treatment clinical ethics patient care Mood serious analytical thoughtful Type clinical empathetic When to use this quote - rehabilitation programs - clinical interviews - support groups - policy making Key Concepts therapeutic focus clinical questioning recovery strategies Questions to Reflect On - How can clinicians balance empathy with practical treatment? - What alternative questions better support recovery? A Different Perspective It may dismiss the value of understanding personal history for tailored care. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addiction/) [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Narcotics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narcotics/) [Psychotherapy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychotherapy/) [Treatment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treatment/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [I've been using narcotics for 20 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-lugosi/i-ve-been-using-narcotics-for-20-years/) [Bela Lugosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-lugosi/) > [No pill can help me deal with the problem of not wanting to take pills; likewise, no amount of psychotherapy alone can prevent my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/no-pill-can-help-me-deal-with-the-problem-of-not-wanting-to-take/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [It is an odd thing, owing life to pills, one's own quirks and tenacities, and this unique, strange, and ultimately profound relationship called psychotherapy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/it-is-an-odd-thing-owing-life-to-pills-one-s-own-quirks-and/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [I like the idea of generalizing the narcotic thing by making it black meat addiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-like-the-idea-of-generalizing-the-narcotic-thing-by-making-it-black/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [ For instance, they \[The Federal Narcotics Bureau \] give out that marijuana is a harmful and habit-forming drug, and it simply isn't. They claim… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-instance-they-the-federal-narcotics-bureau-give-out-that/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [The Federal Narcotics Bureau does a grave disservice by disseminating a lot of misinformation. Most of what they say is such nonsense that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/the-federal-narcotics-bureau-does-a-grave-disservice-by-disseminating/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [It really puzzles me to see marijuana connected with narcotics . . . dope and all that crap. It's a thousand times better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-armstrong/it-really-puzzles-me-to-see-marijuana-connected-with-narcotics-dope/) [Louis Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-armstrong/) > [Work is the best of narcotics, providing the patient be strong enough to take it. I dread idleness as if it were Hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/work-is-the-best-of-narcotics-providing-the-patient-be-strong-enough/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One of the most popular narcotics to ease the pain of economy is cherishing the belief that better days are ahead. This is both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-hillis/one-of-the-most-popular-narcotics-to-ease-the-pain-of-economy-is/) [Marjorie Hillis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-hillis/) > [“My abandoned narcotics have abandoned me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/my-abandoned-narcotics-have-abandoned-me/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-j-anslinger/there-are-100-000-total-marijuana-smokers-in-the-us-and-most-are/) [Harry J. Anslinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-j-anslinger/) > ["Drugs" are not necessarily narcotics. The narcotic is one type of drug and coffee is a drug... booze is a drug... many drugs… They're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/drugs-are-not-necessarily-narcotics-the-narcotic-is-one-type-of-drug/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [With intellectuals, moral thought is often less a tonic that quickens ethical action than a narcotic that deadens it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kronenberger/with-intellectuals-moral-thought-is-often-less-a-tonic-that-quickens/) [Louis Kronenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kronenberger/) > [But for the unquiet heart and brain A use in measured language lies; The sad mechanic exercise Like dull narcotics numbing pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/but-for-the-unquiet-heart-and-brain-a-use-in-measured-language-lies/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [Believer's should never deal with doubts and fears because they are the devil's narcotics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-hagin/believer-s-should-never-deal-with-doubts-and-fears-because-they-are/) [Kenneth E. Hagin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-hagin/) ## More by William S. Burroughs > [“Control never be a means to any practical end. It can never be a means to anything but more control… Like punk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/control-never-be-a-means-to-any-practical-end-it-can-never-be-a-means/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Well as, one judge said to the other, 'Be just and if you can't be just be arbitrary.' Regret cannot observe customary obscenities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/well-as-one-judge-said-to-the-other-be-just-and-if-you-can-t-be-just/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say 'I want to see the manager.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/after-one-look-at-this-planet-any-visitor-from-outer-space-would-say/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [For seven days she lay in bed looking sullenly at the ceiling as though resenting the death she had cultivated for so many years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-seven-days-she-lay-in-bed-looking-sullenly-at-the-ceiling-as/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [When you stop growing you start dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-you-stop-growing-you-start-dying/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [Life is a cutup. And to pretend that you write or paint in a timeless vacuum is just simply . . . not .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/life-is-a-cutup-and-to-pretend-that-you-write-or-paint-in-a-timeless/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [When all lies, deceit, pretense is stripped away, what remains? The truth of a painting, or a book or a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-all-lies-deceit-pretense-is-stripped-away-what-remains-the-truth/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“There is no final enough of wisdom, experience - any fucking thing. No Holy Grail, No Final Satori, no solution. Just conflict. Only thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-is-no-final-enough-of-wisdom-experience-any-fucking-thing-no/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“For John Dillinger In hope he is still alive Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1986 In hope he is still alive Thanks for the wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-john-dillinger-in-hope-he-is-still-alive-thanksgiving-day/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Did I ever tell you about the man who taught his asshole to talk? His whole abdomen would move up and down, you dig,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/did-i-ever-tell-you-about-the-man-who-taught-his-asshole-to-talk-his/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [You need a good bedside manner with doctors or you will get nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/you-need-a-good-bedside-manner-with-doctors-or-you-will-get-nowhere/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [There couldn't be a society of people who didn't dream. They'd be dead in two weeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-couldn-t-be-a-society-of-people-who-didn-t-dream-they-d-be-dead/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [I prefer cats to people, for the most part. Most people aren't cute at all, and if they are cute they very rapidly outgrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-prefer-cats-to-people-for-the-most-part-most-people-aren-t-cute-at/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [ \[Arab peoples\] are stuck back thousands of years and they think they're going to get out with a TV set. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/arab-peoples-are-stuck-back-thousands-of-years-and-they-think-they-re/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“It is not the intensity but the duration of pain that breaks the will to resist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/it-is-not-the-intensity-but-the-duration-of-pain-that-breaks-the-will/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Explore all 484 William S. Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) ## More Addict quotes > [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. I could've done it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-only-way-to-make-sure-that-the-hand-didn-t-get-to-you-would-have/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Taxpayers would likely be responsible for treating addicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/taxpayers-would-likely-be-responsible-for-treating-addicts/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [They said a drug addict needs rehabilitation, they never said what a broken heart needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satyajit-chhotaray/they-said-a-drug-addict-needs-rehabilitation-they-never-said-what-a/) [Satyajit Chhotaray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satyajit-chhotaray/) > [I was ashamed. My son is a drug addict. What does this mean about me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/i-was-ashamed-my-son-is-a-drug-addict-what-does-this-mean-about-me/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Then they're like addicts; they can't help themselves... They will steal, cheat, embezzle and commit other crimes just to get money to gamble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/then-they-re-like-addicts-they-can-t-help-themselves-they-will-steal/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent. They seek each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-are-enthusiasts-devotees-addicts-something-about-the-circus/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [When we think carefully, we see that the brief elation we experience when appeasing sensual impulses may not be very different from what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/when-we-think-carefully-we-see-that-the-brief-elation-we-experience/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [So many kids are fat drug addicts these days, it's almost as if Rush Limbaugh had puppies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/so-many-kids-are-fat-drug-addicts-these-days-it-s-almost-as-if-rush/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I'm a complete addict of The 'X Factor,' so I can see why everyone gets so inspired. But there's a downside to celebrity: your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-quick/i-m-a-complete-addict-of-the-x-factor-so-i-can-see-why-everyone-gets/) [Diana Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-quick/) > [“I don’t fundamentally understand why people give a shit about what other people put up their noses or what other people put in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/i-don-t-fundamentally-understand-why-people-give-a-shit-about-what/) [Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/) > [It doesn't have the ability to think rationally this economic model. It thinks like a drug addict: 'Where can I get my next fix?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/it-doesn-t-have-the-ability-to-think-rationally-this-economic-model/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [It is not heroin or cocaine that makes one an addict, it is the need to escape from a harsh reality. There are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/it-is-not-heroin-or-cocaine-that-makes-one-an-addict-it-is-the-need/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [… an outlaw gulch, a haven for draft resisters, struggling artists, and drug addicts…a camp for semi-demented adults… Venice is like the legendary Phoenix…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-davidson/an-outlaw-gulch-a-haven-for-draft-resisters-struggling-artists-and/) Sara Davidson > [I had to come to terms about becoming an addict, which, for a long time, I lied to myself about the status of until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/i-had-to-come-to-terms-about-becoming-an-addict-which-for-a-long-time/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [“Addiction is a decision. An individual wants something, whatever that something is, and makes a desicion to get it. Once they have it, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/addiction-is-a-decision-an-individual-wants-something-whatever-that/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) Browse all 634 Addict quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I feel that any form of so called psychotherapy is strongly contraindicated for addicts. The question Why did you start using narcotics in the first place? should never be asked. It is quite as irrelevant to treatment as it would be to ask a malarial patient why he went to a malarial area.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William S. 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