Bill Nichols and the Discourse of Sobriety

The basic elements mentioned in Drunk History are supported by the outsides sources. These include Bly’s search for employment as a writer in New York, knocking on the door of every newspaper

As well as getting more people to volunteer to be in the video. Natalie was video taping and brought solo cups and a table. Cary was able to bring people to help out with the video. I was able to get empty alcohol bottles from my parents and older brother. Also I was able to get strobe lights and a black light to have the scene look like if it was an actual party. We all helped and made our ideas about the psa come to life. Natalie edited the video and Cary was able to film some parts as well with his phone. We all played a role in the psa as a bystander or the main character’s.

Alcoholism does not only affect a person’s physical, mental, and emotional state, but it also changes the lives of people close to the drinker forever. It ruins relationships and trust that took years to build up, and may never be able to be restored. In Jeannette Walls’s memoir, The Glass Castle, she tells the story of her childhood in which her father was an alcoholic. Jeannette’s father, Rex Walls, was brilliant and charismatic when he was sober, but when he drank, he was destructive and dishonest.

In today’s society, alcohol has become one of the main necessities for people to create relaxation, confidence, and the ability to be social. In the short story “A Bartender Tells What Man Did to Booze, and Booze to Man”, an anonymous bartender gives an up close and personal account of his observations about the effects alcohol has on men. He emphasizes the change in their character after a few drinks. Koren Zailckas from Smashed shares a memoir of her life describing her relationship with alcohol abuse and the problems that it caused for her. Although certain types of alcohol are used to support good health, it is the excessive consumption and misuse that leaves people dependent resulting in significant social, physical, and mental

Throughout the story many bad decisions were being made because they couldn't handle themselves whether they were drunk or sober and it caused a lot of trouble and problems for these young men. We sometimes forget to make the right decision and sometimes is hard to make the right decision when you are hanging out with the wrong people and wrong set of minds of wanting to be "bad" or "revel" because other people are doing so.

Robin Williams once expressed that “[a]n alcoholic is someone who can violate his standards faster than he can lower them.” Many instances in Under the Influence by Scott Sanders displays he idea of depletion of character triggered from alcohol. Sanders reveals the contrast in behavior of alcoholics while sober and under the influence. Sanders also delves into the view of family members of an alcoholic and how astute they become in seeing signs of an alcoholic. To achieve this review one of the important elements of Under the Influence is that Sanders does not make this experience feel singular. Sanders’ goal of writing Under the Influence is understanding and describing the reach and affect of an alcoholic family member. Sanders’ pursues the understanding of his goal through bringing together the concepts of flashback and reflection.

Alcoholism is a disease that not only affects the user’s behavior, but strains financial standing and social interaction (“Alcohol Problems vs. Alcohol Dependency”). Jeanette’s father in The Glass Castle, an undiagnosed alcoholic, would be the poster child for alcoholism in America with his many blatantly obvious symptoms. His relationships with the people around him, his finances, and his control over his actions and emotions deteriorate as the memoir develops. With this, Walls paints a very accurate account of alcoholism and its effect in America.

Kyra’s alarm clock woke her up every Monday morning at 6:00 am to go to her Alcohol awareness meeting that took place at her local church. This early hour of the morning proved to be a bit difficult to wake up at, especially for someone who was out all night the night before partying and drinking. This particular Monday morning proved to be no different as Kyra’s alarm clock woke her up once again at 6:00 am.

First, the fact that the creator of “Drunk History”, Derek Waters, wittingly enlists the help of A-list actor and comedian friends (i.e. Lisa Bonet, Jerry O’Connell, etc.) to silently communicate on behalf of the narrator – who is heavily inebriated, yet comically intoxicating to the viewer – is a brilliance not often seen in mainstream outlets. “Drunk History” is a part of the journalistic entities that innovatively document our historical accounts in a mostly relatable fashion. Furthermore, the culmination of scripted and unscripted performances of these events proves a certain commitment to creative and historical

Every person has to deal with some sort of conflict during their life. For some, their problem is external. Others face an internal struggle that they try to deal with by themselves. Few people deal with both simultaneously, especially to such a high degree. The Alcoholic written by Jonathan Ames and Illustrated by Dean Haspiel revolves around Jonathan, a man living in New York that has an addiction to both alcohol and drugs. During this period of time, the event of September 11th has just occured. The story tells Jonathan's struggles through the event as he deals with his external and internal conflict. Ames and Haspiels work depicts the struggles of an addict that has gone through a horrific event while doing a great job at presenting

Documentary films in particular have been the preferred channel for the diffusion of propaganda because of its association with ‘a truthful cinema.’ John Grierson, coiner the term documentary, defined it as “the creative treatment of actuality.” However, Hilmar Hoffman talks about film’s illusory power by explaining that what exists to the viewer is only what the camera ‘sees,’ and due to the absence of alternate perspectives, the viewer conventionally perceives the images shown as reality. In this regard, documentary films are able to influence, represent, and create a particular consciousness by doctoring events, thus making it untrustworthy and, ultimately, the ideal medium to communicate

However, the detrimental ramifications of the prohibition on individuals such as women, children, immigrants and normal civilians are accentuated, undermining the benefits of the Prohibition such as the immediate increase in sobriety, as a means to appeal to the ordinary audience on a personal level, similar to Winter’s television series. As such, Ken Burns strays from objective written historical productions that “separates family histories from national history”, believing that he can convey a powerful display of the past that resonates with his audiences through empathy. In light of this, my investigation of the approaches of history also enquires into the purpose of history within the contemporary society and if Burn’s emotive production should be accepted. Ken Burns’ documentary has attributed to society’s contemporary understanding of the prohibition era as period where excess, drunkenness and crime severely impacted lives of families and individuals, yet like Winter’s television series is limited by the need to appeal to the audience and does not completely represent the impacts of the repression. Ultimately, the subjectivity and personal input within multimedia forms of History as

THE LINE BETWEEN DISGUSHING the sober from the drunk is blurred. giggles pierce her ears, instead of the HEAVY music, but she lets herself drown out the mere voices with hennessy. and what a friend hennesy had been to her. hennesy, was one of her truest companions through all her MAJOR milestones of her life. but tonight she wanted something different, to befriend someone new — jack, jack daniels. who other than a new friend to keep her company in this toxic wasteland intertwine of intoxicated strung out souls. except there’s a tiny problem that alludes to her in the back of her mind. she’s broke. using the term broke with such light ease would be an EXAGGERATION on her part. she had money, but not enough to satisfy her current craving. her

The second scenario was a guy and a girl telling their perspective of the night and their encounter with each other followed by a horrific event. That night she was convinced to go out by her friends. She does not drink often, but while out she was approached by a frat boy who offer her drinks after drinks, while drinking himself.

Inebriation, a sort of internal supernatural experience, is the antithesis of reality, something on which literary realism is based. Although the real lives of countless people throughout history has involved the use or overuse of alcohol, it is important to recognize the effect it has of essentially removing its user from reality. A drunken individual perceives his or her environment in a dreamlike way; reality exists only in the individual’s peripheral. That much of what literary realism we have read recently has included a theme of alcohol or alcoholism is noteworthy. It is such a disturbing, real life tragedy or habit, a topic very much made for realism, but it also puts the character user in a completely unreal state of mind. Through Zola’s