Re: was CAS an immoderate drinker/smoker?
Posted by:
Sawfish (IP Logged)
Date: 18 June, 2021 11:57AM
Carl Glover Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm not familiar with the Kipling story, but my 35
> years as a clinical psychologist working with both
> acute and chronic psychiatric patients clearly
> demonstrated to me the devastating effects, both
> physical and mental, of long-term opioid and/or
> alcohol usage, much of which can turn out to be
> permanent. Some organ systems, notably the brain,
> can be damaged beyond repair.
>
> The toll on creative people can be especially
> telling, as creative ability seems to be uniquely
> susceptible to the corrosive effects of
> intoxicants. This could at least partially explain
> why CAS produced little of value in the last 20
> years of his life. But it would not be necessary
> to cite drugs as a causative factor, since alcohol
> alone can have much the same effect.
>
> It is curious that CAS's work during his most
> productive period shows little evidence of the
> "whiskey writing" seen with other alcoholic
> writers,
This is interesting. Can you give some examples of whiskey writing? I'll get the ball rolling by citing Hemingway's Islands in the Stream.
> i.e., the same sort of intermittent
> incoherence which John refers to above in
> connection with acute drug intoxication. For me,
> CAS was rarely if ever incoherent in his best
> work, although his colorful, striking and
> brilliant imagery might well have been inspired at
> least in part by drugs other than alcohol.
>
> But, who knows? Maybe CAS was just a literary
> genius whose output cannot be explained or defined
> in any meaningful way by conventional means.
--Sawfish
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~