Tony Stark’s battle with alcoholism has become one of his defining traits, although sometimes to his detriment because writers want to tell that story not realizing it’s been told. I don’t mean an occasional mention, I mean making a big deal out of it. Some people are able to walk away and never look back, others backslide constantly or surrender for good, and then you have those in the middle to deal with varying degrees of temptation. Tony’s kind of inconsistent depending on the writer.
That said, I do find it interesting when a fictional tale affects someone in the real world. There’s a reason making fictional heroes role models can work, even when what they’re overcoming isn’t a supervillain, alien invasion, or a tidal wave. For example, James Orbesen wrote this article for The Atlantic website about how he was able to free himself from his father’s alcoholic footsteps when he found some old issues of Iron Man while cleaning, the “Demon In A Bottle” story arc in which Tony is forced to confront his dependence on ol’ brother booze. It’s a powerful piece which shows that sometimes it isn’t just fiction, and does in fact matter.
{Special mention to Hube of The Colossus Of Rhodey, who pointed me to this article.)
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