`Confessions of an English Opium-Eater` (1821) relates Thomas De Quincey`s early life and experiences of opium addiction at a time when that drug was widely used for the relief of pain, and before its addictive qualities were properly understood. It is awork which encompasses amusement with nightmare as the author experiences in turn the marvels of opium-induced dreams and the equally vivid nightmares which are their counterpoint.