# Does House overcome his addiction to pain pills? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 21, 2008, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-house-overcome-his-addiction-to-pain-pills/473775 "2008-11-21T03:10:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![schnuckiputzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@schnuckiputzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schnuckiputzi)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-house-overcome-his-addiction-to-pain-pills/473775/21 "2008-11-21T17:02:43Z")
I identify with House pretty well on this issue. I take, on average, six Vicodin a day, and probably about 6 - 8 ibuprofen on top of that. There have been brief blessed periods in the last few years when I wasn’t in that much pain, and I cut the Vicodin out completely. But. I have a life that includes a full time job, a family, and an admittedly limited social life. If I laid in bed all day, I wouldn’t have to take as many pills. I don’t have a drug problem. I have a pain problem. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-house-overcome-his-addiction-to-pain-pills/473775/22 "2008-11-21T17:35:15Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > I’m told that in the Sherlock Holmes stories (upon which _House_ is based), Holmes at some point buries his hypodermic needle through which he administers his cocaine. Perhaps House will at some point emulate Holmes and we’ll see an episode based on the needle-burying story. No, burying the needle is an invention of the Jeremy Brett series of TV adaptations. Never happens in the books–but in later stories there’s no mention of cocaine, leading to speculation that Watson finally managed to wean Homes off the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-house-overcome-his-addiction-to-pain-pills/473775/23 "2008-11-21T19:04:04Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > I’m told that in the Sherlock Holmes stories (upon which _House_ is based), Holmes at some point buries his hypodermic needle through which he administers his cocaine. Perhaps House will at some point emulate Holmes and we’ll see an episode based on the needle-burying story. This is true? Might anyone amplify? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-house-overcome-his-addiction-to-pain-pills/473775/24 "2008-11-21T19:05:47Z")
[Here you go](http://www.housemd-guide.com/holmesian.php) ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-house-overcome-his-addiction-to-pain-pills/473775/25 "2008-11-21T19:14:42Z")
Thank you so much **Annie\_Xmas**! I loved all the parallels, and was particularly charmed by the similarities of Holmes; and House’s addresses: Sherlock Holmes lives at 221B Baker St. In #207 “Hunting” we discover House lives at 221B — we see the number as House and Wilson leave in the morning (but we don’t know the street). See a screen caption of the address clearly visible behind Wilson as he leaves House’s home. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-house-overcome-his-addiction-to-pain-pills/473775/26 "2008-11-21T19:35:11Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Vicodon contains acetaminophen, the main painkiller in Tylenol, which destroys the liver. In the levels House takes it, I’m surprised he has any liver left. That is IMO one of the running “goofs” of the show—he’d certainly be on an APAP-free narcotic (like Oxycontin) or at least taking something like Norco with a better hydrocodone/APAP ratio, but I suspect the show just wanted the name recognition of “Vicodin.” Then again, Hollywood isn’t really known for its adherence to realism in that regard—a recent example being _The Departed_, in a scene where Leonardo DiCaprio opens a bottle of “Oxycontin” (prescribed for a broken hand?) and shakes out a fistful of gigantic oblong horse pills… House probably wouldn’t appear dependent/addicted if he’d quit theatrically dry-swallowing the pills in front of everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-house-overcome-his-addiction-to-pain-pills/473775/27 "2008-11-22T15:43:13Z")
The link didn’t cover the similarity in names between John Watson and James Wilson, and the fact that both of them had two failed marriages. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-house-overcome-his-addiction-to-pain-pills/473775/28 "2008-11-22T16:15:01Z")
Three, now. The third ex-Mrs. Wilson, Julie, had an affair and he left her. The first two ex-Mrs. Wilsons left him. The presumptive fourth future ex-Mrs. Wilson, Amber, aka Cutthroat Bitch, is dead, and Wilson is unable to admit he has feelings for Cuddy, therefore probably eliminating hopes for a future ex-Mrs. Dr. Wilson. But, BarnOwl, you’ll enjoy this: In Tuesday’s episode, when House grabs his keys off his desk, they are sitting on a book. The book is \*Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes \*by Arthur Conan Doyle. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-house-overcome-his-addiction-to-pain-pills/473775/29 "2008-11-22T16:27:32Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Three, now. The third ex-Mrs. Wilson, Julie, had an affair and he left her. The first two ex-Mrs. Wilsons left him. The presumptive fourth future ex-Mrs. Wilson, Amber, aka Cutthroat Bitch, is dead, and Wilson is unable to admit he has feelings for Cuddy, therefore probably eliminating hopes for a future ex-Mrs. Dr. Wilson. > > But, BarnOwl, you’ll enjoy this: In Tuesday’s episode, when House grabs his keys off his desk, they are sitting on a book. The book is \*Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes \*by Arthur Conan Doyle. TY **Sigmagirl**! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-house-overcome-his-addiction-to-pain-pills/473775.md?page=1)