The occupation of opiates as relief-providers can further be corroborated by the Scottish chemical generation. Also plagued by boredom, restless, dissatisfaction, and frustration, the Scots subdued these emotions with heroin. Also called skag and smack by Irvine Welsh’s subjected Scots, heroin solves the issue of boredom because the characters constantly search for new and creative ways to obtain their fix. Tommy reinforces this by remarking during Renton’s period of sobriety that Renton is one of the “junkies who don’t know what to do with themselves since they stopped doing smack.” (Welsh and Hodge 44) This lethargic assertion gains further validation when compared to how Renton behaves on heroin. Describing his skag schedule, Renton relates: …show more content…
Although this relief is not as explicitly mentioned in the text of Trainspotting, confirmation of this fact can be found by closely studying Renton’s changing-disposition, particularly around his mate Sick Boy. Both a pimp and a particularly sordid character in general, Sick Boy causes sober Renton a great deal of annoyance. Renton even admits that his major complaint about “coming off junk was that [he] knew [he] would have to mix with [his] friends again in a full state out consciousness… Sick Boy, for instance.” (Welsh and Hodge 16) Conversely, when using, Renton and Sick Boy exhibit an intimate friendship, continually bonding over their shared love of heroin, Lou Reed, and Iggy Pop. It is also important to note that Renton’s profanity-filled spells of ranting occur during his periods of sobriety. His most iconic ‘Scots are the scum of the earth’ tirade takes place while he is clean, and immediately after this display of rage, Renton declares “at or around this time, we made a healthy, informed, democratic decision to get back on drugs as soon as possible.” (Welsh and Hodge 46) From this episode alone, it is evident that heroin effectively suppresses