I have analyzed the two stories in Drinking, A Love Story, by Caroline Knapp and “Days of Wine and Roses” and connected them to the perspective of social psychology with the help of the publication of theories of Charles Horton Cooley and Professor Cullum-Swan. I have done so with Cooley’s theory of the “looking-glass self” with the example of the main character in the movie seeing himself as a bum. I have also used many theories of Cullum-Swan. I have also connected them with symbolic interaction by talking about Knapp’s empty self-esteem needing to be filled by sleeping with various men while drunk. I feel I now have a clearer understanding of alcoholism in the self.

In both the book and movie, the main theme is addiction and alcohol. Professor Cullum-Swan has defined alcoholism as an illness of need, meaning it is social. Addiction can be defined as a need for a substance because fear of it’s absence. In the movie, “Days of Wine and Roses”, the man character lives with his alcoholic wife in her father’s house. Their alcoholism affects their life in a very negative way, they have a hard time raising their daughter, and he has trouble with work. One day while walking home drunk, he sees his reflection in a window and mistakenly thinks he sees bum. When he realizes that it was actually his reflection, he realizes that he has to change his alcoholic ways. This is an example of Cooley’s

Some topics in this essay:
Caroline Knapp’s, Wine Roses”, Dr Cullum-Swan, Horton Cooley, Howard Becker, Emile Durkheim, Professor Cullum-Swan, Cullum-Swan Cooley’s, Love Story, Story Knapp, social psychology, drinking love story, wine roses”, cullum-swan 2000, “days wine, drinking love, charles horton, horton cooley, love story, charles horton cooley, “days wine roses”, structural functionalism, professor cullum-swan, publication theories charles, movie “days wine,