Alcohol and MarijuanaSince the dawn of time, people have used all kinds of substances to feel liberated. Alcohol and marijuana are used daily in America by adolescents and the elderly; there is no defined range for who uses these drugs. Despite the efforts of the laws imposed: people feel the need to consume these substances and engage in unusual behaviors. Drugs and alcohol are used in the story "Cathedral", but also in the personal life of Raymond Carver. Carver began drinking heavily in 1967 and was hospitalized several times for alcoholism in the 1970s. Carver's minimum wage jobs, parental demands, and the need to bring home money led to his alcohol dependence. Alcohol became a problem because Carver was saddled with an old car, a rental house, serious debt, and a perpetual burden of frustration at having neither privacy nor leisure to write: he more or less less abandoned, threw in the towel and took up drinking full-time as a serious activity. Raymond's wife also drank heavily during this time, helping to accelerate Raymond's drinking problems and the family's general chaos. He was unable to complete his time at the University of California due to his addiction. In 1977, he was hospitalized four times for acute alcoholism. Carver was an alcoholic before his “second life,” as he called it, after his recovery from alcoholism. Most of his short stories feature themes of loss and disappointment caused by alcoholism. Alcohol consumption poses a huge risk for many health problems. Alcohol use has been identified as a significant risk factor for the disease...... middle of paper ......der, whether or not the use of these substances helps people.Carver, Raymond . "Cathedral." North Dakota State University. November 10, 2009. .---. “Vitamins”. New Bulgarian University. November 10, 2009. "Carver, Raymond." British Encyclopedia. 2009. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. November 8, 2009. .Nordgren, Joe. “Raymond Carver: Overview.” Reference guide to American literature. Ed. Jim Camp. 3rd ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literary Resource Center. Gust of wind. November 8, 2009. .Williams, Gary. “Raymond Carver.” American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies. Ed. Léa Beachler and A. Walton Litz. New York: The Sons of Charles Scribe, 1991. Literary Resource Center. Gust of wind. November 8, 2009. .Wriglesworth, Chad. “Raymond Carver and Alcoholics Anonymous; Religion and the arts. 8 (2004):458-478. Academic research completed. November 23. 2009