Is there a connection between drug use and writing?

[TheEldritchGod]

Okay, we've all seen the trope of the world weary, drug/alcohol abusing writer and how amazing his work is, yet he's a burned out druggie. He lives in a black and white noir world, hunched over a typewriter and bitching about his ex-wife while being too cool for you.

However, I've been cutting back on the hydro because it's making my skin crawl to the point I've been scratching myself bloody, and this past few weeks I've had really bad writers block. The reduction and the writers block just about synch up.

I have to go to work and deal with a nightmare and suspect I'll be there 24 hours, at least. So, I broke down and took a double dose and you know what?

I actually feel like writing again.

I mean, I don't want to be that guy, but I'm beginning to think I do my best writing on pain killers. I abhor alcohol, but hydrocodone? Yeah, that is the only shit that works. (I don't have an L4-L5 disk anymore.)

This is sort of a moral quandary for me because i have great disdain for drug use. I grudgingly use what I do because it's a performance issue. When I have time off, I don't take it. However, I just noticed the pattern and its a bit of an eye opener. I dunno what my point is. I'm just disturbed by what I see as weakness of character. I guess I am looking for thoughts on the topic so I can put this in perspective.

When I look at my decades of writing, this really hasn't been an issue until the last 5 years. Is this just a getting old thing? Being 50 will do that, I guess. I dunno. Bit of a sledgehammer to my ego and need help with this. How does the chemical modification of ones mental facilities work with other people when it comes to writing, or is this situation just a me thing? Got any advice, personal experience, or condemnation?

I'm kinda floundering here. This is not my self-image, but I cant help but notice the pattern. (This ain't just a one time thing. I'm just realizing it has been this way for a while.) I was blowing off the writers block because of how shitty work has been and a number of personal issues, but I don't think I can just ignore this anymore. It is affecting my productivity.

I'm a rip the bandaid off kinda a guy, so please be as brutal as you wish when sharing your thoughts, as long as it's truthful and productive.


Thanks in advance,
- Bob

 

[SailusGebel]

No.

 

[Paul_Tromba]

Absolutely. Almost every writer that I have talked to IRL has done or is doing drugs. Alcohol is also used a lot but is usually a replacement for a drug or they haven't tried other drugs out of caution. Hell, when I first started writing I was depressed and drinking spiced rum near constantly. My parents are big potheads so I would smoke every so often and that helped me not drink as much. Once I started to realize that my writing was beneficial to my mental health and happiness, I really regulated myself to make sure that I didn't abuse them. Yeah, I got a bit of writers block for a while but I was back to writing soon enough. Now, I only drink the alcohol I make about once a month and only really use weed to help me sleep. I don't condone the use of drugs but if used in moderation then it can be beneficial depending on the person. There are some people who should avoid drugs and alcohol at all costs though as they abuse it. If you can't use drugs responsibly or crave it more than you should then it isn't safe to use them.

 

[TroubleFait]

Did you start writing before or after taking hydrocodone? How was your writing affected?

What I'm wondering is, maybe your brain got used to hydrocodone and now you can't write without it? Or maybe it's not the case and the relationship between drug and writing is purely beneficial.

Check out the wisdom of cognitive science may e if you want a good answer.

 

[LilRora]

To quote Aristotle, there is no great genius without some touch of madness. Not that taking drugs is madness, because it isn't, but the point is that sometimes you just can't do something without a little push.

I don't have any real experience with drugs, but I noticed long time ago that writing is largely connected to feelings and emotions. I write best when I'm excited and pumped up about something, but it all works differently for various people. If a painkiller is what gets you into a mood for writing, then cool. I can't say I personally approve of that, but I also can't say it's bad if it helps you write.

As for that:

How does the chemical modification of ones mental facilities work with other people when it comes to writing, or is this situation just a me thing?

How is natural hormone-induced modification of ones mental facilities any different from doing it with drugs? I say that as long as you don't overdose anything and don't get addicted, then it's completely fine.

 

[LordJoyde]

I have not and will not ever do any drugs in my life, but I wouldn't say that there isn't a correlation between your two topics, no matter how offensive they may seem to some people.

Reason being that my statement only factors in recreational drug use. Me? I've been an addict of various painkillers, as well as whatever the doctors decided was my most modern alexythymia medication at the time. I have since stopped taking both of these and feel much, much better.

On a more related note to this post, ever since I stopped my involuntary drug usage, I have also slowly but surely stopped writing. Its not that I have writers block, its that my writing just does not interest me anymore and the only use I've found for writing a story down is ripping it out of my head, after which I find myself unable to even remember it anymore provided that I hadn't posted the 'novel' in question anywhere else. Most of my thought dumps happen in my discord server where they will certainly never see the light of day.

However, I would not say that it is the removal of drug use from my life, medicinal or not, that caused me to stop writing, but the seeming end of my depression. I am no longer as depressed as I was a few years back and therefore, it takes a high level of effort for me to care about living a life that is not my own, a key ingredient in any writers story. I still have the imagination required and can pop an entirely new world in about four seconds of thinking or instantly if someone gives me a 'keyword' or two, but I do not care for any of what I create. Imaginations there, but the wonder is not.

Depression, trauma, deep emotions and a repressed need for various fulfillment. These are what makes a great writer and/artist. Once gone, your skill remains, but the drive is no longer present. At the very least, that's how its been in my personal experience.

As for those who find themselves bursting with creativity and artistry while under the effect of one drug or another, it is probably because of the aforementioned 'emotional high'. Your emotions do not have to be strictly negative in order to write effectively, you simply need to experience an extreme.

 

[Prince_Azmiran_Myrian]

One of my favorite stories ever was written (or is still being written) by an author that had a past with drug use. As far as i know that is in his past and isn't currently using.

I think that people go through many different difficulties in life. It's not the difficulty that determines ones character, but the manner in which one continues through it and afterward that really matters.

 

[DarkGodEM]

Okay, we've all seen the trope of the world weary, drug/alcohol abusing writer and how amazing his work is, yet he's a burned out druggie. He lives in a black and white noir world, hunched over a typewriter and bitching about his ex-wife while being too cool for you.

However, I've been cutting back on the hydro because it's making my skin crawl to the point I've been scratching myself bloody, and this past few weeks I've had really bad writers block. The reduction and the writers block just about synch up.

I have to go to work and deal with a nightmare and suspect I'll be there 24 hours, at least. So, I broke down and took a double dose and you know what?

I actually feel like writing again.

I mean, I don't want to be that guy, but I'm beginning to think I do my best writing on pain killers. I abhor alcohol, but hydrocodone? Yeah, that is the only shit that works. (I don't have an L4-L5 disk anymore.)

This is sort of a moral quandary for me because i have great disdain for drug use. I grudgingly use what I do because it's a performance issue. When I have time off, I don't take it. However, I just noticed the pattern and its a bit of an eye opener. I dunno what my point is. I'm just disturbed by what I see as weakness of character. I guess I am looking for thoughts on the topic so I can put this in perspective.

When I look at my decades of writing, this really hasn't been an issue until the last 5 years. Is this just a getting old thing? Being 50 will do that, I guess. I dunno. Bit of a sledgehammer to my ego and need help with this. How does the chemical modification of ones mental facilities work with other people when it comes to writing, or is this situation just a me thing? Got any advice, personal experience, or condemnation?

I'm kinda floundering here. This is not my self-image, but I cant help but notice the pattern. (This ain't just a one time thing. I'm just realizing it has been this way for a while.) I was blowing off the writers block because of how shitty work has been and a number of personal issues, but I don't think I can just ignore this anymore. It is affecting my productivity.

I'm a rip the bandaid off kinda a guy, so please be as brutal as you wish when sharing your thoughts, as long as it's truthful and productive.


Thanks in advance,
- Bob

Eyyyy! A fellow eldritch being with back problems!
So, I am cooked on Codeine for the last two years. (C6-C7 Radiculopathy bc of Disc Degeneration + L5-L6 ligament issues) Back when I started writing, I used to take way more shit and was drunk almost half of the time since I had a newborn and work was hell. Lately I have been slowing down on the drugs and have also had some writers block. Honestly, in my case it's more about not being able to think creatively from the pain when I'm not taking either.
I take 120 to 180mg/day of codeine and sometimes have to top it off with 200mg/day of tramadol. The last few months, with a few other drugs, I went down on those, and now only take 90mg of codeine a day regularly, but the point is. While the sharp pain goes away, I still feel it. It's not enough to make me go crazy like not taking anything, but it's enough I can't hold a thought for long and imagine things. Alcohol always works, and I used to drink together with them and sometimes still do, but yeah. Drugs+Alcohol also helps me forget the problems from real life and focus on my stories without taking antidepressants.


It just works

 

[WeissBlatt]

I dunno, but I'm not interested in finding out. As far as I'm concerned, writing is my drug. It's free, after all.

 

[Ellen_Dunkel]

Okay, we've all seen the trope of the world weary, drug/alcohol abusing writer and how amazing his work is, yet he's a burned out druggie. He lives in a black and white noir world, hunched over a typewriter and bitching about his ex-wife while being too cool for you.

However, I've been cutting back on the hydro because it's making my skin crawl to the point I've been scratching myself bloody, and this past few weeks I've had really bad writers block. The reduction and the writers block just about synch up.

I have to go to work and deal with a nightmare and suspect I'll be there 24 hours, at least. So, I broke down and took a double dose and you know what?

I actually feel like writing again.

I mean, I don't want to be that guy, but I'm beginning to think I do my best writing on pain killers. I abhor alcohol, but hydrocodone? Yeah, that is the only shit that works. (I don't have an L4-L5 disk anymore.)

This is sort of a moral quandary for me because i have great disdain for drug use. I grudgingly use what I do because it's a performance issue. When I have time off, I don't take it. However, I just noticed the pattern and its a bit of an eye opener. I dunno what my point is. I'm just disturbed by what I see as weakness of character. I guess I am looking for thoughts on the topic so I can put this in perspective.

When I look at my decades of writing, this really hasn't been an issue until the last 5 years. Is this just a getting old thing? Being 50 will do that, I guess. I dunno. Bit of a sledgehammer to my ego and need help with this. How does the chemical modification of ones mental facilities work with other people when it comes to writing, or is this situation just a me thing? Got any advice, personal experience, or condemnation?

I'm kinda floundering here. This is not my self-image, but I cant help but notice the pattern. (This ain't just a one time thing. I'm just realizing it has been this way for a while.) I was blowing off the writers block because of how shitty work has been and a number of personal issues, but I don't think I can just ignore this anymore. It is affecting my productivity.

I'm a rip the bandaid off kinda a guy, so please be as brutal as you wish when sharing your thoughts, as long as it's truthful and productive.


Thanks in advance,
- Bob

Writing is affected by your mental state, so the right mind altering substance probably gets you in a mental state where you find it easier to write. (I have also heard stories about language learners getting better at speaking if they've had just a bit of alcohol)

It might also just be that your pain stops you from writing

Anyway if it is an issue of mindset there are techniques to help with that. I don't think it's a good idea to become reliant on drugs for your hobbies, but if you need painkillers for your pain take them (and yeah obviously be careful about which painkillers you take and how much but you probably already know that)

 

[Erios909]

I don't use drugs, and rarely drink alcohol. So it isn't universal!

 

[CupcakeNinja]

No.

You and me cant be friends

 

[SailusGebel]

You and me cant be friends

Duh, you are a walking and living god of smut novels, and I'm a lowly mortal pleb. Obviously, we can't be friends.

 

[RavenRunes]

I've never used drink or drugs whilst writing or creating (not counting caffeine). Nor would I consider it (I have dabbled, but not in a creative phase). Don't need to. My devils come out to play when I tell them to.
I live near two hostels and a rehab centre. I see the ravaged walking corpses every single day. No way am I ever ending up like that thanks.
Although I am interested in the effects of various plants. But I suspect it wouldn't help my writing, so I'm not really in any hurry. 'Tortured genius' in one person's eyes can so often be seen as incoherent mangled insanity by others.

 

[EternalSunset0]

I don't smoke nor do I drink, so it does vary from person to person. I do occasionally find myself wanting to have a shot of coffee or bite on some potato chips or something when writing though.

Hope you get better soon though.

 

[BearlyAlive]

Short answer: YES!!!

 

[Cipiteca396]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction

Your brain is trying to get you to keep using the drug. Even seemingly unrelated things are affected as your brain keeps telling you, "It's because you didn't feed me yet". Think of it as confirmation bias.

It's technically true though, that the drug is 'helping' you write. Your brain considers it a necessary and normal part of how it functions. Without it, you're effectively running at 20%.

I don't know enough about it to say you should stop or not. That's something you should discuss with a doctor, and preferably one that's not getting paid to tell you to keep using.

---

As for a general association between writing and drugs... No. My mom is a smoker, and I've always hated the idea of using drugs or alcohol because of it. I've never tried either, and never will. Would it improve my ability to write? Maybe. But it's not why I started writing, and it's not what keeps me going. Reading is.

If you want to consider reading or gaming as an addiction, then things might be a bit different... But whatever.

 

[K5Rakitan]

I'm a rip the bandaid off kinda a guy, so please be as brutal as you wish when sharing your thoughts, as long as it's truthful and productive.

I'm going to be frank with you. I've rejected hundreds of manuscripts where the protagonist takes drugs and spends all his time stuck in his own head instead of getting out and interacting with others. At least, that's how the story starts, and I lose my patience with it very quickly. As long as your writing doesn't devolve into that sort of stuff, you should be fine.

 

[immortal1daoist]

I think drugs trigger a different side of your brain, but it does not mean without it you can not write
You just need to think very differently to trigger the different side of your brain.

Personally, I think stopping to take drugs is nice because it just triggers creativity. It may cause problems for people around you, and your productivity and you can lose your personality because of addiction to drugs and painkillers. You can take them when necessary but it should not turn into an addiction.

Your brain makes you think that drugs relieve you from suffering but it is purely an illusion. We should learn to be happy while suffering.
It is a way to live our lives.

 

[greyblob]

there's probably a link between stimulants and hallucinogens with any creative activity. though i doubt its worth the risk of unlocking some dormant mental illness