Explain in the context of the extract from Slash's autobiography how getting sober can change someone's life.
Slash is a legendary guitarist in the ilk of Richards, Hendrix and Clapton. He rose to fame with the anarchic American rock band Guns ‘n’ Roses whose success and notoriety peaked in the early 1990s. Perhaps it is no coincidence that Slash and many other famous musicians suffer from addictive illness with a propensity towards drugs and alcohol especially due to their ready availability on the rock scene. The extract from Slash’s autobiography is telling as to an addict’s state of mind and the effects of addiction on personal relationships before and after the event of sobriety and getting well. As Slash got sober, his feelings towards his (probably) long suffering girlfriend changed. He says in relation to his feelings towards her: “With nothing to cloud my vision, it felt like she was a stranger.” It can be inferred from this that Slash entered and maintained that relationship with his thought processes befuddled by drugs and alcohol. He acted accordingly. The flip side to this is that when he got sober, his feelings towards her did a volte face. He said: “I was getting back to my old self; I was getting into work mode. All I kept thinking when I looked at her was, What are you doing here? You’ve got to go. I’ve got shit to do…” Whilst this must sound callous and probably is, it is also clear that the original basis for the relationship i.e. one founded in drugs and alcohol was unsound. It would have been doomed from the start regardless of whether Slash had got sober or not. However, the removal of those mind altering substances caused a seismic shift in Slash’s behaviour and attitudes. Luckily for him at least it meant that he was able to get his life back on track.
No comments:
Post a Comment