Chasing the Dragon

Has anyone else heard of this term, "Chasing the Dragon"? I first heard it when I was talking to my friend about whether or not I should try taking heroine. He told me that his first time taking heroine was his "Dragon", and since then, every time he takes it, he is trying to attain that unbelievable high he reached the first time.
This mythical dragon is not the same for everyone. I think the best way to describe it is the way you felt the first time you really really got high. I had smoked pot for a while and rolled plenty of times before I met my dragon. That was the first time I took coke. Not the first line, nor the second. But there came this feeling, this level of highness, about four or five lines in, where my body became complete energy and I felt like I was completely invincible. Every time I've done coke since then, I've tried to feel that way, but have always come up short. And each time, I come up shorter and shorter. That is chasing the dragon.
Can anyone else relate to this, or at least heard the terminolgy? What is your dragon?

Although your interpretation is much more mystical and symbolic, I always adhered to a more simple explanation of this phrase. The dragon is the trail of smoke that plumes forth when you heat up things like opium. Chasing the dragon is compensating for it's unpredicable contortions and sucking up all the smoke.
Which leads to supreme one-ness

k.
so me and my friends are retarded. heh. thanks for the explanation!

rek: I like your interpretation much better.
Well in my part of the world it really isn't used, but when it is, it usually refers to smoking heroin. I always thought it had to do something with the smoke, and the fact that there are a lot of eastern connetations to opium use... hence the dragon symbolism.

I think adzm sane's explanation is correct, but I think rek's is nicer :D
I had always thought that chasing the dragon referred specifically to the act of smoking heroin on a piece of tin foil.

In my parts, chasing the dragon refered to smoking meth (only).
Who knows...it was a 'high school term'...we were probably just misinformed
...never chased it myself

I think both rek and adzm are correct. It originally came from asia and had to do with smoking opium. It's about the shape of the smoke, but also increasing tolerence. If there was a dragon and one was to chase it, what would happen if you caught it? It would probably kick your ass, as constant opium use probably does. Yeah... that's the ticket...

the funny thing is that me and my freinds were talking about the same thing this week..lol i think it can be either but personaly i like Rek's version much much more

I did a google search and I've only found sources confirming the theory that the way the smoke curls is the reason for the dragon name. Dragons in the Chinese tradition are long, like snakes, and fly through the air in a curling motion much like the smoke does.
However, the "chasing the first high" explanation is even better, as has been stated. I'm sure the irony of chasing the first high while you chase the dragon was not lost on the Chinese who originated the term.
As an interesting sidenote, I've heard acupuncture referred to as "chasing the dragon's tail". But always with the "tail" part. I've found no reasonable explanation for this other than the fact that it sounds cool :D
--- G.

i always thought it referred to smoking opium.

It probably started as an opium term, then when heroin caught on, this rather cool term moved on...
--- G.

actually the phrase "chasing the dragon" in terms of drugs is derived from prison life and is also refered to as "chasing the horse"... in most prisons and pens heroin or sometimes other drug dealers are refered to as dragons... drugs were often exchanged in the courtyard during excersize hours, so what the phrase "chasing the dragon" refers to is the addict/buyer looking for the dealer in the court yard. over time the phrase has been used in differnt ways and thats probibly why u guys are hearing all these different definitions... much like some people think chronic is weed wit coke, and others refer to chronic as real good bud
short answer:
Chasing the Dragon: Looking for heroin on the yard. Also called, "chasing the horse."
[ 20 February 2003: Message edited by: e_asy ]

Chasing the dragon (where I'm from) refers to going after that one high.... you know when you first drop E? The first roll...the feeling. You want that again...so you drop...and drop...and drop.
It's relative to all drugs, but where I'm from thats what it means. Tweakers chase the dragon..heroin addicts, etc.

word.

I had a hasj pipe mixed with heroine once. Very Chronic, very good high !

rek
I dunno about your friend but I've done smack a little too much in my lifetime and I can tell you from personal experience and from many of my close friends experience, the first time you do smack IS NOT that enjoyable. You puke, you itch all over. Its only after a few times, when you get used to it that it becomes much more enjoyable.. i.e. my 6th or 7th time was much MUCH more fun than my first.
I've never "chased that first high".

I agree. I just got queasy the first time.
Chasing the Dragon simply refers to sucking up the plume of smoke off heated foil with a little straw, usually rolled up foil as well. Im not sure about the traditional ways of taking heroin. Opium is smoked in a long pipe put up to a candle, so the expression applies only to the powder form which must be vaporized, not smoked: usually heroin.
You can add whatever interpretation you want on top of that, but Ive never heard otherwise.