An antiquated term for alcoholism, and particularly a form of addiction in which a person has sudden-onset, overwhelming cravings for alcohol. In Mervyn’s case, he manages to stay sober for one or two months at a time before suddenly binge-drinking for days on end, after which he gets sober and the process repeats.
Dipsomania Quotes in Running in the Family
The Running in the Family quotes below are all either spoken by Dipsomania or refer to Dipsomania. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Kegalle (i)
Quotes
Humorous and gentle when sober, [Mervyn] changed utterly and would do anything to get alcohol. He couldn’t eat, had to have a bottle on him at all times. If his new wife Maureen had hidden a bottle, he would bring out his rifle and threaten to kill her.
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Dipsomania Term Timeline in Running in the Family
The timeline below shows where the term Dipsomania appears in Running in the Family. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Kegalle (i)
...Mervyn takes up chicken farming and separates himself from his old friends, though he suffers dipsomania and continues to drink. He stays sober for two months at a time, then binge...
(full context)
