When you think of writers, does the word addiction enter into the same thought? It could. Many authors have shown promise with their writing while they were drinking or doing drugs. Here are a few famous authors that were addicts. Let's explore how it affected their writing.

Stephen King: Several Drugs and Alcohol

Stephen King is well-known for his horror stories. He remains one of the best-selling in the genre. During his life, he found himself battling drug and alcohol abuse to avoid dealing with childhood traumas. His father left the family when he was only 2 years old. King never got over that.

He fell in love with horror snd science fiction after finding books left by his father. From then on, he became obsessed with the genre. The first story King ever wrote was when he was 7 years old.

During his college years, he found drugs and alcohol were an escape for him and it helped him through terrible writer's block. During his years of addiction, he took LSD, cocaine, and marijuana. His writing didn't seem to suffer, though. In fact, he wrote several best-selling books before his wife intervened to help him stop the drugs and alcohol. After stopping the use of any and all drugs, King proved he didn't need these enhancements to get in the right place mentally to write a best-selling book.

Charles Dickens: Smoking Opium

One of the most famous authors for penning his holiday story 'A Christmas Carol' Charles Dickens held a secret many did not know about him. After he returned home, he would smoke opium. He would use a hookah to smoke a poppy latex after he would finish writing. This may be why he died from a stroke on June 9, 1870.

Ernest Hemingway: Alcoholic

As much as he was recognized for his prolific writing skills, Hemingway was also known for his extreme use of alcohol. He fit the mold regarding the stereotype of writers and artists alike having some sort of addiction. He was a winner of the Nobel prize in 1954 and was said to have changed the ways of writing in America. There was no other author better than him in the Twentieth century.

Some of his most famous works include: 'For Whom The Bell Tolls', and 'A Farewell To Arms.' Hemingway eventually committed suicide, which was believed to make a medical problem arise after all the years of his heavy drinking. His suicide was in 1961.

Authors write from a deep place that can be dark. Sometimes, in order to see the light, they turn to drugs and alcohol. It's unfortunate that some of the greatest authors seem to correlate with addiction. However, it doesn't take away from their incredible talent.