This is a true story… It is a terrible story; but it is also a story of hope and of beauty. Written by Aleister Crowley, Diary of a Drug Fiend tells the story of young Peter Pendragon and his lover Louise Laleham, and their adventures traveling through Europe in a cocaine and heroin haze. The bohemian couples’ binges produce visions and poetic prophecies, but when their supply inevitably runs dry they find themselves faced with the reality of their drug addiction. Through the guidance of King Lamus, a master adept, they use the application of practical Magick to free themselves from addiction. Released in as his first published novel in 1922 and dubbed “a book for burning” by the papers of the time, Diary of a Drug Fiend reveals the poet, the lover, and the profound adept that was Aleister Crowley.
Sympathy with universal suffering brings one into a certain sombre serenity. It does not show us the way of escape, if such there be, but at least it makes the idea of escape thinkable. As long as one is trying to get out of the burning theatre for one's own sake, the panic makes concerted action impossible. “Every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost” is not the kind of order that is likely to secure victory. It does not even ensure the safety of any one man.