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What Drives Poets and Other Writers To Drink?

by Team PoetrySoup

What causes poets and writers to drink? Do they drink more than the other social groups such as lawyers and doctors? There are many reasons why writers and poets are known to drink more than the different social groups. For instance, it enables the writers and poets to become less self-critical, and as a result, it reduces their fear.

This makes their audience disappear in front of them, and as such, they can express themselves more honestly and frankly. Alcoholism is a common theme for many poets and writers, especially when working on a new piece.

Heavy drinking is a common trend for many writers and poets. They usually do this when they are already into a new creative piece, and it is generally hard for them to be interrupted when they are in such a state.

One of the reasons many writers and poets want to drink when they are working on their creative pieces is that it gives them courage and gets rid of the inhibitions and limits that they usually feel when they are sober. Being drunk, the writer will work on a piece more honestly and will openly express their creativity.

This means that they will not hold anything back when they are in a drunken state, making their work more impact on the readers. The writer will be able to write the truth and what they feel inside themselves.

Although this is not the best approach for any creative process, writers usually resort to this when unsure of themselves. Before they can work on any piece, a stiff drink will get them going and make their time much easier as they work on the new intense piece.

One of the main consequences of starting this habit is the unavoidable addiction. The heavy drinking habit eventually leads the writer or poet to become addicted to alcohol.

As such, they are unable to work on any piece unless they are drunk like a fish, and they will often stay up late when they have imbibed their heavy drinks. Staying up late is a habit change that will make them write more, and their creative flow will rarely be interrupted when they are in a drunken state.

The lure of alcohol is a persistent threat that is hard to justify and has caused many writers to start going on a downward spiral to eventual failure. Some of them drink to overcome the anxiety that comes with the demands of such a creative role in society.

Other writers are also known to drink due to their history. An alcoholic dad or mom might be the reason for their drinking habits, and the writer might have picked up this habit from someone in their past. These creatives are also always in denial concerning their habits, and they cannot face the truth.

The drinking also acts as the backdrop to the creative piece, and poets will usually drink to help with their creative process. The drinking helps them advance the plot and be more open about developing the story. They will not hold back anything when writing, which will be seen in the habits of their characters.

The characters will have fewer inhibitions and even throw insults sooner and act more outrageously. The brawls will also be more vivid and graphic when the writer has been drinking in their creative process.

Why do writers and poets drink? There are many reasons ranging from loneliness, boredom, a habit developed over time, hedonism, a lack of self-confidence, stress relief, and a means of burying the past. The impact of the drinking habit on the final creative pieces is usually evident later when the writer has written like a fish after getting drunk like one.



Book: Shattered Sighs