Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol addiction is presented in Nightmare Alley as the response to fear and a cause of weakness, mental instability, and more fear. Stan sees the effects of alcohol addiction in the case of the geek who is willing to do anything for a drink. He believes the geek began drinking to combat fear. Zeena tells Stan that Pete began drinking to combat his nerves, but it ruined his career because he lost his mental acuity when he drank.

Stan determines from reading Pete’s notebook that finding out what a person is afraid of is the best way to control him. Stan thinks “The geek was made by fear. He was afraid of sobering up and getting the horrors. But what made him a drunk? Fear” (64). Zeena told Stan that Pete began drinking because he was having trouble with his nerves before shows. It can...