Lena Savoie
F. Scott Fitzgerald's struggle with alcoholism is well-documented. He began drinking at a young age and had a low alcohol tolerance, often getting drunk after just a few drinks. Fitzgerald's drinking worsened over the years, and it interfered with his work and personal life. He made a drunken fool of himself in public, spewed insults, threw punches, and suffered from blackouts and memory loss. Fitzgerald recognized the negative impact of alcohol on his creativity and health and tried to quit drinking, but he was unable to do so. He died of a heart attack at the age of 44, with his death partly attributed to his alcoholism. While it is unclear if Fitzgerald explicitly stated that he believed his alcoholism was a problem, his attempts to control his drinking and the negative consequences he experienced suggest that he was aware of its detrimental effects.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Alcoholism | Yes |
| Fitzgerald's beliefs about his alcoholism | Fitzgerald's alcoholism was a problem that he tried to quit a hundred times. He was aware of the negative impact of alcohol on his health, work, and personal life. |
| Cause of death | Fitzgerald died of a heart attack on December 21, 1940, at the age of 44. His excessive drinking and smoking contributed to his death. |
| Impact on work | Fitzgerald's alcoholism interfered with his writing, as he admitted to his editor that alcohol hindered his ability to organize and revise his work effectively. |
| Personal impact | Alcoholism led to memory loss, blackouts, and behavioural issues. It also caused guilt, insecurity, and impacted his relationships. |
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What You'll Learn
Fitzgerald's drinking was influenced by his Irish heritage
F. Scott Fitzgerald was a prominent novelist of his age, whose talent was overshadowed by his addiction to alcohol. He was a recovering alcoholic and drank himself to an early death at the age of 44. Fitzgerald's drinking was influenced by several factors, including his family history of alcoholism, his personality, and emotional traumas. One of the factors that influenced his drinking was his Irish heritage.
Fitzgerald was of Irish descent, with the name Fitzgerald being of Anglo-Norman origin, meaning 'the son of Gerald'. The Fitzgeralds of Ireland are said to be descended from Maurice, son of Gerald and Nesta, Princess of Wales. Over the centuries, the family became one of the most powerful and numerous in Ireland, with members playing a major role in Irish history and politics.
Fitzgerald, however, rejected his Irish heritage, possibly because it set him apart from those in high society. Despite this rejection, his cultural heritage influenced his attitude towards drinking. Fitzgerald began drinking at a young age, and alcohol became a prevalent force in his life, with alcohol and alcoholics appearing as central characters in his writing.
The Irish, in general, are known for their preference for hard liquor, such as whiskey, and their drinking culture involves socializing, celebrating, and mourning. This cultural attitude towards drinking was evident in Fitzgerald's life. His drinking increased during periods of distraction and when he was away from his wife, and it often led to drunken behaviour at parties and public venues, followed by blackouts and memory loss.
Fitzgerald's Irish heritage, therefore, played a role in shaping his drinking habits and the cultural norms associated with alcohol consumption in Ireland influenced his relationship with alcohol.
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Alcoholism hindered his creative output
Alcoholism hindered F. Scott Fitzgerald's creative output in several ways. Firstly, his excessive drinking sapped his health and creative energy, affecting his ability to write and negatively impacting his work. Fitzgerald himself acknowledged the detrimental effects of alcohol on his writing process and creative output. In 1935, he wrote to his editor, Max Perkins, admitting that alcohol interfered with his ability to organize and revise his work effectively.
Fitzgerald's drinking also contributed to financial problems and personal issues, which further hindered his creative output. His alcoholism led to reckless behaviour and public embarrassments, damaging his reputation and relationships. Additionally, his drinking was a means of coping with emotional traumas, such as his wife Zelda's mental health struggles and the decline of his literary career.
The cultural attitude towards drinking within his social circle also normalised excessive alcohol consumption. Fitzgerald's Irish-American heritage and social environment encouraged a recreational approach to drinking, making it a prevalent force in his life and the lives of those around him. This normalisation of heavy drinking made it challenging for Fitzgerald to recognise the severity of his alcoholism and seek help.
Furthermore, Fitzgerald's alcoholism impacted his physical health, leading to cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, angina, dyspnea, and syncopal spells. His early death at the age of 44 was a direct consequence of his alcohol and tobacco use. Despite his awareness of the negative consequences, Fitzgerald struggled to quit drinking, highlighting the powerful grip of addiction.
While some artists found that alcohol loosened them up and improved their creative output, Fitzgerald's experience demonstrates the detrimental effects of alcoholism on creative endeavours. His story serves as a cautionary tale, illustrating how alcoholism can hinder one's potential and contribute to a downward spiral in both health and creative pursuits.
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He was aware of his addiction
F. Scott Fitzgerald's battle with alcoholism is well documented. He was a heavy drinker, and his addiction was a contributing factor to his early death at the age of 44.
Fitzgerald was aware of his addiction and tried to quit drinking numerous times, but he was unable to do so. He recognised that alcohol was interfering with his work and his health. In 1935, he wrote to his editor, Max Perkins:
> "It has become increasingly plain to me that the very excellent organisation of a long book or the finest perceptions and judgment in time of revision do not go well with liquor."
Fitzgerald's drinking was also linked to his feelings of guilt and insecurity about his work, and he used alcohol as a means of escape. He wrote in his notebooks:
> "Seeking desperately for some personality to replace his own, [the alcoholic] may adopt a field of reference totally foreign to his own persona—the mild-tempered fellow who imagines himself a gangster, etc.—and support this role with such factual lying and ready invention that the layman is more than half ready to believe him."
Fitzgerald's attempts to quit were unsuccessful, and he continued to drink heavily, even as his health deteriorated. He died of a heart attack on December 21, 1940, brought on by a lifestyle of excessive drinking and smoking, which led to cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, angina, dyspnea, and syncopal spells.
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He tried to quit drinking
F. Scott Fitzgerald's alcoholism was a well-known aspect of his life, and it is said that he tried to quit drinking many times. In fact, he once remarked to his editor, Max Perkins, in 1935, that "The very excellent organisation of a long book or the finest perceptions and judgment in time of revision do not go well with liquor".
Fitzgerald's drinking was a source of guilt for him, and he recognised the negative impact it had on his work and health. He tried to reserve a portion of each day for sober composition, but he went on regular binges. He also had a low tolerance for alcohol and would get drunk quickly, becoming "disagreeable and rude and quarrelsome". Fitzgerald's drinking was also a source of embarrassment for his daughter, Scottie, who believed that alcohol had a strongly deleterious effect on her father's life and that he underwent a negative change of personality when drinking.
Fitzgerald's attempts to quit drinking were not successful, and he continued to drink heavily throughout his life. His drinking was likely exacerbated by his personality, which was marked by excessive risk-taking and reckless behaviour, as well as emotional traumas such as his wife Zelda's mental illness. Despite his attempts to quit, Fitzgerald ultimately drank himself into a terminal spiral of health issues, including cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, angina, dyspnea, and syncopal spells. He died of a heart attack on December 21, 1940, at the age of 44.
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Alcoholism contributed to his death
F. Scott Fitzgerald's alcoholism is well documented, and it is thought that his excessive drinking contributed to his death. He died of a heart attack on December 21, 1940, at the age of 44. In the years leading up to his death, Fitzgerald's health had deteriorated due to his alcoholism, and he had been hospitalized for it eight times between 1933 and 1937. He also suffered from chain smoking, a sugar-heavy diet, and frequent drunken benders.
Fitzgerald himself was aware of the negative impact of alcohol on his health and creativity. He once told his editor, Max Perkins, in 1935:
> "It has become increasingly plain to me that the very excellent organization of a long book or the finest perceptions and judgment in time of revision do not go well with liquor."
Despite his awareness, Fitzgerald was unable to curb his drinking, and it continued to take a toll on his health. He had a mild heart attack in October 1940, just two months before his death.
Fitzgerald's excessive drinking also led to reckless behaviour and public outbursts, further contributing to his decline. He made a drunken fool of himself at parties, spewing insults, throwing punches, and hurling ashtrays, followed by blackouts and memory loss.
In the end, Fitzgerald's alcoholism, combined with his smoking and unhealthy diet, led him into a "terminal spiral" of health issues, including cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, angina, dyspnea, and syncopal spells. His early death at 44 was a tragic consequence of his inability to manage his alcoholism.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, F. Scott Fitzgerald believed that his alcoholism was a problem. He once wrote to his editor, Max Perkins, in 1935, saying, "It has become increasingly plain to me that the very excellent organization of a long book or the finest perceptions and judgment in time of revision do not go well with liquor." He also tried to quit drinking several times, but was unsuccessful.
Fitzgerald's alcoholism interfered with his writing. While he wrote sober, he went on regular drinking binges and admitted that alcohol had interfered with his novel, "Tender Is the Night". His excessive drinking also sapped his health and creative energy.
Yes, Fitzgerald's drinking had a negative impact on his personal life. He made a drunken fool out of himself at parties and public venues, spewing insults, throwing punches, and hurling ashtrays. He also experienced blackouts and memory loss. His daughter, Scottie, believed that he qualified as an alcoholic on two counts: liquor had a strongly deleterious effect on his life, and he underwent a change of personality when drinking.
It is unclear if F. Scott Fitzgerald sought professional help for his alcoholism. However, he did try to quit drinking on multiple occasions and recognized the negative impact it had on his life and work.
