Yeah, I tend to think those people succeeded in spite of the drink/drugs, not because of them. Kerouac ended up dying in his 40's while living and drinking 24/7 with his mom in a trailer. And this was a guy who probably could have lived easily off of his fame and groupies for the rest of his life. Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Or Hemingway, a guy who early in life was already recognized as a literary giant with huge star and earning power. He ended up chronically sick and depressed to the point of suicide. It's pretty clear that the booze was their ruination, not their inspiration.