Beethoven Box: Drink, Drank, Drunk…Was LVB an Alcoholic?
Beethoven was an alcoholic. In fact, he died from liver failure, probably mostly because of his alcoholism. Beethoven's death at 56 from cirrhosis of the liver is widely attributed to heavy, long-term alcohol consumption (primarily wine) combined with a likely Hepatitis B infection, rather than alcohol alone.
While he was a daily drinker, some scholars argue he may not have been an "alcoholic" by modern definitions, but rather suffered from liver disease accelerated by alcohol, poor health, and possibly lead-contaminated wine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv2QnrCJNk0
Here is a YouTube talking about Beethovens favorite substances…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-db4TogKds
And now some dark Beethoven ~