have a Chinaman on (one's) back

To suffer from an addiction to narcotics or the withdrawal symptoms caused by it. A derogatory phrase, it likely refers to opium's classical association with Southeast Asia. Having that Chinaman on her back has kept Janet out of work for years. I want to get clean and turn my life around, but having this Chinaman on my back is absolute torture.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Yefim	ye-FEEM, ee-FEEM	Russian
PÒL	POL	Scottish
Theudoricus	-	Ancient Germanic (Latinized)
Dagrun	-	Norwegian
Bowles	[bəulz]
Wasswa	-	Eastern African, Ganda