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Donald W. Goodwin, MD

JAMA. 1970;212(1):86-90.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Alcoholism is unevenly distributed among, groups. More men than women are alcoholic, more Irishmen than Jews, more bartenders than bishops. The group, however, with possibly a higher rate of alcoholism than any other consists of famous American writers.

Whether, as Hemingway said, most good writers are alcoholic is uncertain, but apparently a large number are. Of the seven Americans who were awarded the Nobel Prize for literature, four, according to their biographers, were alcoholics and a fifth drank heavily. If we compile a list of wellknown American writers of the past century, quite possibly one third to one half could be considered alcoholic.

How to explain the high rate of alcoholism among authors? Is the association purely chance? Do writers drink because of the nature of their work or the life they lead? Do bad or obscure writers become alcoholic as often as famous writers? (Perhaps fame itself leads to . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to 4940 Audubon Ave, St. Louis 63110 (Dr. Goodwin).

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