Almost everybody loves drugs, whether it's just some classic boozin' or even if you like the hard stuff (crack). Sometimes television and literature give us the opportunity to see how drugs affect the lives of our favorite characters. We decided to exclude movies on this one, there's so many movies about drugs (Trainspotting, Requiem for a Dream, etc). Those movies are famous because of their depictions of drug usage. Instead, we wanted to mention some characters whose drug problems are just a small aspect of the plot in their respective universes.
8.) Ryan Howard (The Office)
Drug(s) Used:
Never directly stated, but it's definitely coke.
Reason For Taking Drug(s):
Never explicitly mentioned, but it can be assumed that due to his newfound wealth and influence from the wealthy business class of New York City.
Famous Drug Use Moments:
Michael and Dwight visit Ryan in New York, where Ryan is clearly on edge. He is unable to sit still, sweating profusely, and can't stop dancing. He also shows an excitement for seeing Michael and Dwight that he had never shown during his time in Scranton.
7.) Christopher Moltisanti (Sopranos)
Drug(s) Used:
Heroin
Reason For Taking Drug(s):
As a rich member of an Italian crime family, drugs were easily available. Also, he enjoys drugs.
Famous Drug Use Moments:
His heavy drug use left many a burden on Tony Soprano. After being on again off again high on heroin, Christopher crashed his car, leading to severe internal injuries. Realizing that Christopher's daughter could have been a victim and that he would never change, Tony held Christopher's nostrils shut, causing him to asphyxiate on his own blood.
6.) Sherlock Holmes (from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Series Of The Same Name)
Drug(s) Used:
Coke, morphine
Reason for taking drug(s):
Recreational due to having a brain too large for boring late 19th century London.
Famous Drug Use Moment:
The Sign of the Four basically opens up with Holmes filling his veins with Maxwell's silver hammer and getting dirty with some cocaine.
5.) Gregory House (House)
Drug(s) used:
Prescription pills, namely Vicodin
Reason for taking drug(s):
Physical dependence due to loss of quadricep muscle in right leg.
Famous Drug Use Moment:
Dr. House isn't shy about his drug use. He can often be seen popping pills while talking to patients or discussing important diagnoses with other doctors. But perhaps the best drug use moment comes in the February 2005 episode entitled "Detox." He bets other doctors that he can go a week without painkillers, causing him to fall into withdrawal. His leg problem yields serious amounts of pain coupled with withdrawal symptoms which leads Dr. House to act like more of a dick than usual. His problem culminates into violence when the father of a dying boy has had enough of House's ineptitude, and he punches the doctor in the mouth.
4.) Dr. Henry Jekyll (The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)
Drug(s) used:
Homemade concoction. Dr. Jekyll kept it a secret.
Reason for taking drug(s):
Made him turn into another person, allowing for tons of immoral behavior.
Famous Drug Use Moments:
A couple of witnesses see Mr. Hyde trample a little girl, and a few months later, he beats another character to death with a cane.
3.) Karen Walker (Will and Grace)
Drug(s) used:
Prescription pills, booze
Reason for taking drug(s):
Boredom thanks to a life of being rich housewife.
Famous Drug Use Moments:
Numerous references to her bad hangovers and love for painkillers. In one scene, her medicine cabinet is opened, resulting in a ridiculous amount of prescription pills tumbling out.
2.) Dorian Gray (The Picture of Dorian Gray)
Drug(s) used:
Opium
Reason for taking drug(s):
Experimentation with tons of vices due to immortality.
Famous Drug Use Moment:
Dorian has been using opium for quite a while. As his life begins to spin out of control, Dorian heads to an opium den to get high. Something about the place unsettles him, leading a stoned opium skank to call him by his nickname "Prince Charming" which was given to him by his ex-girlfriend, a woman who had committed suicide 18 years prior when he dumped her. Coincidentally, her brother is in the den at the time, and decides to fulfill his promise of killing Dorian for hurting her. Since he has not aged in 18 years, Dorian escapes death by showing that it would be impossible for him to have been involved with a woman that long ago, since he would only have been about two years old.
1.) Jesse Spano (Saved By The Bell)
Drug(s) used:
Caffeine pills (speed)
Reason for taking drug(s):
Being so excited/scared.
Famous Drug Use Moments:
Eager to impress some talent scouts and get good grades to gain entrance to Stanford University, Jessie starts popping "No-Doze," because speed or coke would have been much too dark for a show about American teenagers...because American teenagers never do drugs. After popping pills for a week, Zach goes to her room, where he finds her sleeping. He wakes her up, thus enabling the greatest moment in sit-com history.