the "all writers drink"-excuse
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Join Date: May 2017
Location: Berlin, germany
Posts: 5
the "all writers drink"-excuse
Hi,
I am new here. I am 39 years old right now. I was 5-10 times really drunk in my entire life, but for the last 3-4 years my drinking habit developed more and more. Its not the volume I drink, but the thought of drinking. I usually drank friday nights, not much at first, but it became gradually more. I waited for this evening. Work is emotionally highly stressful (phone support) and changes in working environment stressed me terribly for the last 2 years. Now for the last months I found myself drinking almost every day. And yes, I read the moderate-drinking-only 2 magical alcoholic units and not more than 14 a week and I told myself: Well I dont have problem.
But there are the excuses to drink. I write for the last years stories and books and I found it way too easy to tell myself "Well, they all drank and wrote epic. so thats a good connection" or "Writing improves creativity"... the whole "everything is okay, if you drink for a reason".
So here I am. Just a man with fear and anger and way too much dispair for a long time. I work towards getting better, way better.
I am new here. I am 39 years old right now. I was 5-10 times really drunk in my entire life, but for the last 3-4 years my drinking habit developed more and more. Its not the volume I drink, but the thought of drinking. I usually drank friday nights, not much at first, but it became gradually more. I waited for this evening. Work is emotionally highly stressful (phone support) and changes in working environment stressed me terribly for the last 2 years. Now for the last months I found myself drinking almost every day. And yes, I read the moderate-drinking-only 2 magical alcoholic units and not more than 14 a week and I told myself: Well I dont have problem.
But there are the excuses to drink. I write for the last years stories and books and I found it way too easy to tell myself "Well, they all drank and wrote epic. so thats a good connection" or "Writing improves creativity"... the whole "everything is okay, if you drink for a reason".
So here I am. Just a man with fear and anger and way too much dispair for a long time. I work towards getting better, way better.
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,416
Hi Redshirt 
Sure a lot of writers drink but they die young too - Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Raymond Chandler, FScott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Edgar Alan Poe, Dylan Thomas just to name a few..and IMO they all drank to the point where their writing suffered for it.
Even notable writing drunks who led a reasonable lifespan like Bukowski knew his best days were long behind him when he died.
Stephen King is one of my heroes not just for being a great writer but for getting out of the demons clutches...
to me, the recent stuff he's written is better than any of the stuff he did drinking and snorting.
I'm glad you're questioning the validity of the premise and that you found us redshirt
D
Sure a lot of writers drink but they die young too - Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Raymond Chandler, FScott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Edgar Alan Poe, Dylan Thomas just to name a few..and IMO they all drank to the point where their writing suffered for it.
Even notable writing drunks who led a reasonable lifespan like Bukowski knew his best days were long behind him when he died.
Stephen King is one of my heroes not just for being a great writer but for getting out of the demons clutches...
to me, the recent stuff he's written is better than any of the stuff he did drinking and snorting.
I'm glad you're questioning the validity of the premise and that you found us redshirt
D
Member
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 36
I think the "all writers drink" thing is a lot like the "all good comedians are depressed" idea.
A lot of writers did drink and a lot of comedians are depressed but I think that's because certain professions just attract certain personality types.
In the case of writing, and a lot of other creative careers, it attracts addictive personalities.
I've never been able to do anything better drunk and I doubt writers were better because of the booze, I imagine they'd have achieved a lot more without it and they're great writers in spite of rather than because of the drinking.
A lot of writers did drink and a lot of comedians are depressed but I think that's because certain professions just attract certain personality types.
In the case of writing, and a lot of other creative careers, it attracts addictive personalities.
I've never been able to do anything better drunk and I doubt writers were better because of the booze, I imagine they'd have achieved a lot more without it and they're great writers in spite of rather than because of the drinking.
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 8,674
Writers, musicians...."Creative types"....lots of "glory" and praise around the need for substance to do our best work. I'm agreed with those above- lots of the times I felt I had a brilliant idea- and sometimes did indeed produce great work- but it is a million times better, and from a stronger source now that I am sober.
I think glamorization lasts for awhile .... til it's gone along with the greatest of your talent.
I think glamorization lasts for awhile .... til it's gone along with the greatest of your talent.
Better when never is never
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Wisconsin near Twin Cities
Posts: 1,745
I was just thinking about something similar this morning. I think to be truly creative, one must be in touch with their emotions. Alcoholic drinking only put me in touch with one emotion: pain. This fits with my personal observation of artists producing their great work early in addiction before petering out into mediocrity or worse. Of course, this is just the handful of artist who make it far enough to be noticed. I have a folder full of awful drunken writing to remind me of the truth.
Another book to read is Pete Hamill's A Drinking Life. He is a writer who got sober. He writes about returning to LA sober and witnessing all the failed writers and actors who were done in by alcohol.
Another book to read is Pete Hamill's A Drinking Life. He is a writer who got sober. He writes about returning to LA sober and witnessing all the failed writers and actors who were done in by alcohol.
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