In Stephen King’s book On Writing there is a section beging on page 94 that talks about his addictions and his recovery, and what both the addictions and the recovery have meant to his life and craft. It starts with this …
“Alcoholics build defenses like the Dutch build dikes. I spent
the first twelve years or so of my married life assuring myself
that I “just liked to drink.” I also employed the world-famous
Hemingway Defense. Although never clearly articulated (it
would not be manly to do so), the Hemingway Defense goes
something like this: as a writer, I am a very sensitive fellow, but
I am also a man, and real men don’t give in to their sensitiv
ities. Only sissy-men do that. Therefore I drink. How else can
I face the existential horror of it all and continue to work?
Besides, come on, I can handle it. A real man always can.“
continues later with this
“…the part of me that writes the stories, the deep part
that knew I was an alcoholic as early as 1975, when I wrote
The Shining, wouldn’t accept that. Silence isn’t what that
part is about. It began to scream for help in the only way it
knew how, through my fiction and through my monsters.“
Join us this Halloween for a discussion on Stephen King’s epic tale of the horrors of alcohol addiction The Shining.
Open the discussion posts with the links below and join the conversation in our private community space.
- What Causes Fear for You? The Shining Discussion Post #1
- Dependence vs Independence – The Shining post #2
- Symbolism in the Shining- A Wasp’s Nest Atop A Grand Hotel
- What is Evil – The Shining Post #4
More thoughts from our Boozemusings Blog on The Shining
Romancing the Darkness – Alcohol Addiction and The Shining
JOIN US ! IN A BOOK CLUB ABOUT MUCH MORE THAN QUIT LIT
You can access our Boom Community Book Club archive with the titles below.
- The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober – A Boom Community Book Club Selection
- Sober Diaries – A Boom Community Book Club Selection
- Blackout – A Boom Community Book Club Selection
- Chasing the Scream – A Boom Community Book Club Selection
- Untamed – A Boom Community Book Club Selection
- Push Off From Here – A Boom Community Book Club Selection
- Staying Sober Without AA – A Boom Community Book Club Selection
- In the Realm of the Hungry Ghosts – A Boom Community Book Club Discussion
- The Biology of Desire – A Boom Community Book Club
- Dry – A Boom Community Book Club Discussion
- A Million Little Pieces – A Boom Community Book Club
- Drinking a Love Story- A Boom Community Book Club Selection
Books to Help you Stop Drinking and Fuel Your Sober Momentum
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