doi:10.7916/d8-q75y-et15Oral history interview with Grace, 1981Graceoral historiesmixed materialDrug addicts--United StatesDrug abuse--History--20th century.--United StatesDrug addicts--Rehabilitation--United StatesMethadone maintenance--History--20th century.--United StatesCodeineDrugs--PrescribingGraceIn this interview, Grace discusses her life in New York City, with a focus on her drug use. She discusses her Catholic upbringing, her public school education, and her job as a waitress at Stouffer's Restaurant in Pershing Square, Manhattan. She also delves into her two marriages, the first in 1939, and the second in 1961. She discusses her addiction to codeine, and explains how she first became addicted after her doctor prescribed it to her for a severe chest cold. She also describes symptoms she would experience when she tried to stop taking the codeine after a year of daily use, including painful leg cramps, watery eyes, and throat draining. She describes how she was able to continuously fill her prescriptions at various Manhattan and Brooklyn drugstores with no issues. She discusses the various hospitals she visited for detoxification from codeine, including Metropolitan Hospital Center, Manhattan General Hospital, and New York City Health and Hospitals/Coney Island. She compares codeine and methadone, and discusses her experience in the methadone program