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
Jola	-	Polish
Hester	HES-tər (English)	English, Biblical Latin
Yukiko	yoo-kee-ko	Japanese
Isokrates	-	Ancient Greek
Kent	[kent]
Laetitia	-	Late Roman, French