Breaking Bad and Fiend On Meth

We’ve heard it before; drugs are bad and cause people to become poor, freeloading, lowlives. Particularly, we know that meth is as bad as it gets. Whether shooting it up or smoking it, the side effects of long-term meth abuse are nothing to be desired. So, if the PSA’s and lectures have instilled in our minds that meth is a horrible drug that will make your teeth look like you’ve been on a diet of dirt and rocks, why has meth use and distribution become the center of TV’s most thrilling narrative, “Breaking Bad”? And if meth distribution is truly the key to success, as depicted in earlier seasons of the show, why aren’t we all running out to cook in our own RVs right now?

 “Breaking Bad” seems to be the pioneer of the modern day meth-narrative, perhaps inspiring the world of literature to cash in on the phenomenon as well.  Fiend, a 2013 zombie apocalyptic novel, finds main character Chase Daniels coming out of a meth induced high to a little girl ripping open a Rottweiler. As the novel progresses Daniels is faced with the realization that while he was busy experiencing the finest trip meth has to offer, the rest of the world, sans a few of his meth-head friends, succumbed to a phenomenon that turned them all into giggling zombies. Daniels eventually comes to the conclusion, after visiting his dealer, The Albino, that “everyone still alive is addicted to methamphetamines.” (Stenson, 68)

So, if meth can make you billions of dollars and act as the one thing that can make your survival of a zombie apocalypse possible, is it really that bad? Unfortunately for those of you contemplating putting on your tighty-whiteys and calling up your high school chemistry teacher, a closer analysis of these meth-based stories demonstrate that narratives like “Breaking Bad” and Fiend, act as metaphors for meth use itself. Through the deterioration of each story’s protagonist, Gina Piccalo comments, meth storylines “[mirror] the substance’s corrosive effect on American culture.”

According to the Pat Moore Foundation, a meth high results in “extremely pleasurable…euphoria,” followed by a period of paranoia and agitation. By season 3 of “Breaking Bad,” Walter and his sidekick Jesse Pinkman are making a sizeable amount of cash cooking their blue product. However in this instance, it is not the drug that's directly providing the high for Walt. The creators blatantly address meth’s effects through Jesse’s use in seasons 1 and 2, but enhance the metaphorical narrative through the high Walt gets from a good cook. Walt’s production of the blue sky provides him with the exhilaration of knowing the profit will take care of his family, equivalent to the rush of a meth user. However, as with the physical use of meth, Walt experiences paranoia stemming from his desire to produce a good product and not get caught by his DEA agent brother-in-law. Walt becomes addicted to meth, but not in the same overt way a drug addict is; he is addicted to the “sheer enjoyment of coming out on top” (Collins) by creating the most pure product on the street while simultaneously financially providing for his family. The narrative in “Breaking Bad” provides a parallel to the use of meth, as well as a parallel to the narrative of Fiend.

After beating down zombies in his pursuit to find more survivors, Chase fully realizes that all he has left is meth and the thought of literally using to stay alive without societal ramifications is ideal. When looters kill The Albino, Chase realizes that he is “pretty close to being fucked” (Stenson, 73) as his supply is limited without his meth-chef. Because he is such a long-time user, the narrative bypasses the majority of euphoria in favor of highlighting the adverse effects

Stenson’s narrative contrasts to the narrative of Walt provided in “Breaking Bad” as it more literally depicts the needs of an addict, although the narrative suggests Chase’s use is all right because it is a matter of life and death, as some addicts feel. However, Chase’s need for “larger amounts to get high”(Pat Moore Foundation) after he has shot up his last rock from The Albino is based on his literal need to stay alive. This survival instinct represents the phase in which an addict feels without using, they will die.

 Meth “can doom a story just as it dooms the lives of its users.” (Piccalo) The metaphor comes full circle as Chase and Walt “use [meth] until it destroys their lives and the lives of the people who care about them.” (Ewing) Ultimately, Chase is forced to succumb to death when his supply runs out, after everyone he knows has left him or died. Similarly, the narrative emphasizes Walt’s alienation from his family and priority shift in favor of the drug. For both characters, the narrative was never about whether they will fall, “the only question is how far [they’ll] fall” (Collins) alluding to the idea that while using meth, failure, and presumably death, are inevitable. These metaphorical narratives directly parallel the cycle of a meth addict, seen through Walt’s “rock bottom,” and Chase’s death.  The two narratives provide an insight into the two options of a meth user’s demise; either you lose the important values and people in your life, or you die.

So while some critics worry the portrayal of meth within these narratives will have glorifying effects within the United States, it, in fact, may do the opposite. “Breaking Bad” and Fiend can instead be read as metaphorical narratives for the detrimental effects of meth use and association. However, one disclaimer should be noted. We cannot verify that meth will not be the key to surviving the zombie apocalypse, but based on Brad Pitt in “World War Z,” only the pretty people survive, so it’s safe to say survival won’t be the result of shooting up some of Walt’s finest blue sky.