In his book, The Quotable Hitchens: From Alcohol to Zionism, Christopher Hitchens discusses the use of alcohol in writing and the “alcohol trap” writers fall into. The more interesting portion of his argument is the notion of the master/servant relationship of alcohol. In essence, Hitchens’ view is quite simple. That is, alcohol can be healthy for the imagination and writing process. However, when one begins to abuse the substance and invites the alcohol to take control is when the role of master and servant are reversed, whereas, the alcohol becomes the master, and the individual becomes the servant, or slave. Illustration is used in the form of a reference to a movie entitled The Servant. In the aforementioned movie, a wealthy British aristocrat,
