6. He Became An Alcoholic After His Wife's Death... And Joined The Precursor To Alcoholics Anonymous
Following the death of his wife Virginia due to tuberculosis in January 1847, Poe turned towards alcohol as a means of comfort. Although it is still debated to this day the extent to which his alcoholism took hold, it is clear that he did have a certain fondness for a tipple or three. This led him to join the Sons of Temperance - a group who took a public pledge against booze - which, although similar to Alcoholics Anonymous, did not offer to keep the person's identity secret.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
