narcomania

Etymology

From narco- + -mania. Coined by Scottish physician Norman Kerr in 1888.

narcomania means A pathological craving for or addiction to narcotics or alcohol. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

Why “narcomania” is a great word

NARCOMANIA — [Noun] A pathological craving for or addiction to narcotics or alcohol. From the combining form narco- (from Greek narkē, "numbness, stupor") + -mania (from Greek mania, "madness, frenzy"), meaning "madness for narcotics." Coined in 1888 by Scottish physician Norman Kerr. Unlike dipsomania, which specifies a craving for alcohol, or the broad, modern addiction, which applies to any compulsive need, narcomania clinically narrows the madness to the pursuit of chemical oblivion. It is the frantic search through empty vials, the shaking hand at the tavern door before dawn, and the absolute priority of the bottle over the child—a quiet tragedy of choosing a purchased numbness over the manifold pains of being sentient.

noun

A pathological craving for or addiction to narcotics or alcohol.“A. S. Sholomovich reported in 1925 that two institutions for child narcotic addicts and eight out-patient clinics for three forms of "narcomania"—alcohol, cocaine, and morphia addiction—were functioning in Moscow.”