Brutally Honest Quotes From Stephen King On His Worst Days

King's 1981 novel, "Cujo," looks like a human versus beast story on the surface. But looking closer, the book shows the limits of a normal human mind under pressure. The story also shows how fast people lose their humanity when trying to survive.CujoThe book might seem like a classic "human vs. beast" story. Yet, it examines the limits of the typical human mind under pressure. The book also explores how quickly we lose all sense of humanity when facing survival.

This is a fascinating and complex thriller. Unfortunately, King's substance use hurt his work.eclipsedKing admits that the experience of writing his novel got overshadowed.He wrote this in his memoir, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.

King fought alcohol dependence and used illegal drugs for almost ten years. He toldRolling StoneRolling StoneIn 2014, he told Rolling Stone that he usually didn't start drinking until evening. But he used controlled substances all the time, hiding it completely from friends and family.

The long-term effects of this secret worried him. Still, the author expressed feelings about his habit in one of his famous novels.

Tabitha King, a successful author,a successful author, staged an intervention for her husband by bringing friends and family together. King called this in his book,On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, "a kind of This Is Your Life in hell."

He thennotethat Tabitha started the intervention byspilling out the dirty evidence of his dependency for everyone to see.

According to a Guardianinterview with King, the horror author's drinking problem did not always block his relationships. For a short time each day, he was neither drunk nor hungover—this is when his wife Tabitha could talk to him.

In the same interview, King said, "But [Tabitha] made it clear that she wouldn't stick if I didn't clean up my act... But that was after maybe 20 years."

King revealed in an interview with The Guardianthat chemical and mental dependence often replaces most basic human needs and functions. He also admitted his lifestyle made it hard for his wife and children to handle.

"I don't remember a lot of it. The kids accepted my drinking as part of life," King said.

King told The Guardianthat he easily slipped into dependence. If his drink of choice—beer—wasn't available, he did not get picky about other drinks. He mentioned drinking several gin and tonics before dinner.

However, illegal substances presented a totally different situation for King.

One dangerous part of dependence is feeling the substance gives the brain something it lacked. King knew this feeling. He toldThe Guardian.

"You don't think yesterday or tomorrow. You just think now, where is it," he added.

For King, chemical dependence did not come from becoming a social butterfly after his huge success. He toldThe Guardianhe did not go to parties or enjoy being around other users; he preferred getting drunk alone.

He mentioned a memory lapse during times he drank.

Asked byRolling StoneKing said his substance use hurt his writing quality. He added his 1987 novel, TheTommyknockersespecially suffered, and his 2001 work, Dreamcatcher, is not his favorite.

While writingDreamcatcher, King took strong prescription pain relievers after a bad injury.

King used real life to write two novels, The Shiningand its sequel, Doctor Sleep. Characters like Jack Torrance and Danny face drinking issues. Jack realizes he must fix his behavior after breaking Danny's arm drunk, then runs over a child's bike late while impaired.

Danny's low point hits when he wakes from a one-night stand, grabs the woman's money, and hunts for drugs while a toddler in a diaper wanders the house.

King toldThe Guardianhis personal sobering moment was less intense than Jack and Danny's.

King followed Alcoholics Anonymous's 12-step program to get sober, which means admitting you have a problem. But , which King followed to get sober, is admitting you have a problem. ButRolling Stoneyou have a problem is different from admitting it, as the author outlined in a 2014 interview withRolling StoneHe said he first knew about his drinking problem when he filled his recycling bin with only beer cans in one week.

He said he first became aware of his drinking problem when he filled his recycling bin with nothing but beer cans in a single week.

The GuardianThe GuardianKing remarked about the accident, "You come out of something like that and you don't think about alcohol."

Once King fixed things for his family and job, he saw he made the right choice and did not look back. However, he worried he might lose his spark.

This fear proved wrong, as King told

This fear ultimately proved false, however, as King toldThe GuardianIn

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, King shares lessons about writing and wisdom gained as a husband, father, and recovering user.One lesson about his craft and addictions is this: King claims mind-altering substances did nothing for his writing.

One lesson he learned addresses both his craft and dependencies: according to King, mind-altering substances did absolutely nothing for his writing.

his bookentitled Dear Me: A Letter To My 16-Year-Old SelfDear Me: A Letter To My 16-Year-Old Self, editor Joseph Gallianoasked 75 creative public figuresKing warned his past self to avoid recreational drugs, calling him a "junkie waiting to happen."

King warned his past self to avoid recreational use of controlled substances, saying that he was a "junkie waiting to happen."