Noah Vinter
Edgar Allan Poe is known for his drinking problems and use of drugs, which influenced his life and work. His excessive drinking reportedly began in college and worsened after his mid-20s, with several personal letters alluding to his promises of recovery and reform. While some sources claim that Poe tried to hide his alcohol problem, others suggest that he was open about it, even defiantly so. For instance, in response to an accusation of presenting himself before an audience while intoxicated, Poe stated that he would get drunk when [he] please [s]. Beyond alcohol, Poe also allegedly used opium, with some speculating that he turned to the drug as a substitute for alcohol.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Alcoholism | Yes |
| Attempts to hide his alcoholism | Yes |
| Opiate usage | Yes |
| Attempts to hide his opiate usage | Yes |
| Alcohol-induced violent and psychotic behaviour | Yes |
| Alcohol as a cause of death | Yes |
| Family history of alcoholism | Yes |
| Excessive drinking since college | Yes |
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What You'll Learn
Poe's alcoholism was influenced by his family history
Edgar Allan Poe is known for his struggles with alcohol, which influenced his writing and may have even caused his death. While it is unclear whether Poe tried to hide his drinking problem, he did acknowledge his alcoholism and made several attempts to quit.
Poe's alcoholism was likely influenced by his family history. His father, David Poe Jr., and older brother, Henry Poe, were both alcoholics. In a letter to John Allan in 1829, Poe wrote, "Henry is entirely given up to drink & unable to help himself". Poe's father abandoned the family in 1810, and his mother died the following year, leaving the young Poe with a difficult foster father who alternately spoiled and aggressively disciplined him. These early traumas likely contributed to Poe's struggles with alcohol later in life.
Poe's excessive drinking began during his college years and escalated in his mid-20s. His drinking was often intermittent, with periods of abstinence followed by binges. In his letters, Poe chronicled his "recoveries" and promises to reform, indicating a cycle of drinking and attempts to quit. Poe's drinking also appears to have been influenced by the death of his young wife, Virginia, in 1847.
Poe's alcoholism had a significant impact on his life and career. He lost ownership of The Broadway Journal due to his drinking, and his public drunkenness was a source of scandal and negative publicity. Despite his struggles, Poe was able to achieve success as a writer, becoming one of the first American authors to earn a living solely through writing.
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Poe's drinking was intermittent, and he tried to quit
Edgar Allan Poe's struggles with alcohol are well-documented. His excessive drinking began in college and escalated in his mid-20s, with intermittent periods of abstinence. Poe himself acknowledged his drinking problem and made several attempts to quit.
In a letter to James Kirke Paulding in 1838, Poe wrote, "Intemperance, with me, has never amounted to a habit... I have been fully awakened to the impolicy and degradation of the course hitherto pursued, and have abandoned the vice altogether, and without struggle." This quote indicates that Poe recognized his drinking as a vice and claimed to have successfully quit.
Poe's drinking was influenced by various factors, including family history, personal tragedies, and emotional pain. He lost his biological and adoptive mothers at a young age and later experienced the death of his young wife, Virginia, which triggered a severe drinking episode in 1847. Poe's struggles with alcohol also impacted his professional life, contributing to the loss of his journal, "The Broadway Journal", and sparking well-publicized literary battles due to his scathing reviews.
In addition to alcohol, Poe also allegedly used opium, as evidenced by his requests for laudanum and references to opium in his fiction. However, the extent of his opiate use remains a subject of debate, with some suggesting that it was well-hidden and intermittent, similar to his alcohol consumption.
Despite Poe's intermittent drinking and efforts to quit, his alcohol problem significantly contributed to his early death at the age of 40. Many contemporaries, including doctors, attributed his death to excessive alcohol consumption, although some sources suggest that other substances, such as opium, may have also played a role.
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Poe's alcoholism was influenced by the death of his wife
Edgar Allan Poe is known for his struggles with alcohol and drugs, which influenced his writing and may have even caused his death. While he tried to hide his drinking problem, there is evidence that Poe was an alcoholic.
Poe's alcoholism was likely influenced by the death of his wife, Virginia. They married in 1836, when he was 27 and she was only 13. In 1842, Virginia contracted tuberculosis and died five years later in 1847. The already hard-drinking Poe dove deeper into alcohol after her death, and it is believed that he also began to abuse drugs.
Poe's drinking problem had a significant impact on his life and work. He lost his job at the Southern Literary Messenger due to his heavy drinking, and his wife's death drove him even further into alcoholism and drug abuse. In 1846, the Cincinnati Chronicle reported on a rumor that Poe had "become deranged," and attributed it to his opium use. While there is no evidence to support this claim, it is possible that Poe was hiding his dependency on opium.
Poe himself acknowledged his struggle with alcohol and tried to stay away from it. In 1838, he wrote to James Kirke Paulding, "Intemperance, with me, has never amounted to a habit... I have been fully awakened to the impolicy and degradation of the course hitherto pursued, and have abandoned the vice altogether, and without struggle." However, there are several accounts of him being intoxicated in public, and he was known for his defiant response to accusations of drunkenness.
Poe's alcoholism and drug abuse may have ultimately led to his death. He was found in a state of delirium, wearing ill-fitting clothes, and was taken to the hospital, where he died. While there was no death certificate, a local newspaper reported his cause of death as "congestion of the brain," believed to be a euphemism for alcohol poisoning.
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Poe's letters reveal his struggle with alcohol
Edgar Allan Poe is known for his drinking problems and use of drugs. His letters reveal his struggle with alcohol, with several references to his attempts to quit drinking and his promises of reform.
In an April 1841 letter to J. E. Snodgrass, Poe wrote about his experiences in Richmond:
> "For a brief period, while I resided in Richmond, and edited the Messenger, I certainly did give way, at long intervals, to the temptation held out on all sides by the spirit of Southern conviviality."
Poe also admitted to periods of sobriety, writing in the same letter that he had "abandoned every kind of alcoholic drink" for four years, except for "a single deviation" where he resorted to cider to relieve a nervous attack.
In another letter to James Kirke Paulding in 1838, Poe claimed to have abandoned alcohol altogether:
> "Intemperance, with me, has never amounted to a habit... I have been fully awakened to the impolicy and degradation of the course hitherto pursued, and have abandoned the vice altogether, and without struggle."
However, Poe's struggle with alcohol continued, and in 1847, he went through one of his worst periods of drinking after the death of his wife, Virginia. Despite his attempts to quit, Poe's drinking times were intermittent, and he struggled with alcohol until his death.
Poe's letters also contain references to his use of opium, although the evidence suggests that he may have used it as a substitute for alcohol or to calm his nerves. In a letter to Annie Richmond in 1848, Poe wrote about a purported suicide attempt using laudanum, although it is unclear if this was a genuine attempt or a fabrication to impress his friend.
While Poe's alcoholism is well-documented, it is important to note that his genius cannot be reduced to or entirely explained by his struggles with substance abuse. His alcoholism was likely linked to his life, fiction, and critical theories, and it influenced his writing and creative process.
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Poe's addiction to absinthe
Edgar Allan Poe is known to have struggled with alcohol addiction. While there is no conclusive evidence that he was addicted to absinthe, some sources suggest that he was an early user of the drink. Absinthe is a bright green liqueur made from wormwood, with a very high alcohol content and containing thujone, a chemical similar to THC. It was popular among writers and artists in the 19th century due to its low price and strong effects, and it is said to have induced a state of hallucinogenic reverie.
Poe's drinking habits are well-documented in his letters, which include periodic admissions of 'recoveries' and promises to his wife, Virginia, and her mother to 'reform'. Despite his attempts to quit, he struggled with alcoholism throughout his life. In 1838, Poe wrote to James Kirke Paulding, acknowledging his struggles with intemperance and expressing his intention to abandon it. However, in 1839, he was found intoxicated by Dr. Thomas Dunn English, who recalled finding Poe struggling to raise himself from the gutter.
Poe's drinking often produced wild and hallucinatory states, leading some to speculate that he may have been a user of absinthe, as his behavior was inconsistent with the effects of alcohol alone. Psychiatrist Donald Goodwin suggested that some other substance may have been involved in Poe's drinking, and absinthe has been proposed as a possible culprit.
However, there is little concrete evidence to support this theory. While absinthe was mentioned in connection with one of Poe's associates, Henry Beck Hirst, these references occurred after Poe's death in 1849, and Hirst and Poe did not socialize frequently due to living in different cities. Additionally, absinthe was only beginning to gain popularity in the United States at the time of Poe's death, so he likely had little opportunity to acquire the habit.
In conclusion, while Edgar Allan Poe's struggles with alcohol are well-documented, the claim that he was addicted to absinthe remains speculative. It is possible that his drinking included absinthe use, but it is also likely that his wild and hallucinatory behavior had other causes, such as opium use, which some sources suggest was a hidden habit of Poe's.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Poe struggled with alcoholism. His drinking problem is said to have begun in college and worsened after his mid-20s.
Poe did try to fight his alcoholism and stay away from alcohol. In a letter to James Kirke Paulding, Poe wrote, "Intemperance, with me, has never amounted to a habit... I have been fully awakened to the impolicy and degradation of the course hitherto pursued, and have abandoned the vice altogether, and without struggle." However, he relapsed multiple times, and his drinking became particularly heavy after the death of his wife, Virginia.
Poe's drinking problem influenced his writing, with his gothic style being attributed to the tragedies in his life. His alcoholism also contributed to him losing ownership of The Broadway Journal. Additionally, his poem "Kubla Khan" is believed to have been written under the influence of opium, which he may have used as a substitute for alcohol.
It is believed that Poe died of rabies and not alcoholism. However, many doctors, both past and present, including people who knew Poe, have attributed his death to excessive alcohol consumption.
Yes, Poe is believed to have struggled with substance abuse beyond alcohol, particularly with opium. Evidence suggests that he had periods of habitual indulgence in opium, and he may have used it as a substitute for alcohol.
