Severus Snape and Substance Abuse
What is the fandom's opinion on this topic?
Did he drink too much in order to find some peace of mind?
Did he take too many stimulants in order to juggle the responsibilities of a teacher, a housemaster, a spy, a human?
Or did he prefer sedatives to get at least some rest?
And what about cigarettes?
Chocolate?
Shepherd's pie? (Ngl, I could eat that stuff all day, every day.)
Well, we know he drank wine, but we don't know to what degree. And it's possible that he may have been using potions to help him function, but I'm not sure if he'd be the type. Cigarettes aren't out of the question; smoking would have been more common around the time he started working at Hogwarts. Not sure about food being an addiction given how thin he is.
Alcohol: I don't think he will was alcoholic. He did drink elf wine and probably drank on occasions but not daily or drunk to the point of no return.
Tobacco: I actually think he chewed Tobacco. He belonged to a working class family where tobacco chewing is quite common. Probably explains his yellowed teeth often remarked by Harry.
Cigrettes: I do think he was a chronic chain smoker. And agree with the statement of @thegestaltprince.
Food: I don't think he was a big foddie with his thin figure. But I like to think he had sweet tooth and carried candies and chocolates around to indulge privately.
Other substances: I don't think he substance abused or any potion. There are fics where he often takes sleeping or other kinda potions to the point of abuse but as I see Snape as a master of his mind, I don't think he took Potions to function unless he was in highly stressed condition like his Headmaster year.
I think the fandom has convinced me that Severus is a smoker. I'd never considered it before, mostly because I just don't smoke myself and don't encounter it often now that I'm out of home.
I don't however subscribe to the idea that he indulges in anything that could impair his cognitive faculties. I've read some fanfictions where he's supposedly has a "controlled" usage of illicit substances, but I doubt there is a such thing, and I find it detracts from my own reading experience. (Personal preference, of course.)
He does keep the wine, as previously mentioned, but I don't believe he drinks very often. The bottles are dusty, from memory. One could argue that the entire house is dusty as there's an "air of neglect" but if he was truly an alcoholic those bottles wouldn't exist. At minimum, they wouldn't be covered in dust.
My headcanon is:
Alcohol: Occasional and never abusive. But a little here and there to take the edge off those exhausting staff meetings/required social gatherings is fine.
Cigarettes: I don't see him as a smoker, either occasionally or habitually; a pack of cigs in his pocket doesn't fit my versions of Severus.
Tobacco: Hadn't thought about it until @naaga brought it up, but now I think it's quite likely (for the reason Naaga gave).
Food: Yes, he's thin, but some people have what's called a "high metabolism", so he could eat anything and not gain weight... or he could be bulimic? But I'd rather say he's a picky eater and not very interested in food. But for some reason I see him as being fond of mint sweets and dark chocolate with mint.
Other substances: I think he values the sharpness of his mind too much, so he wouldn't take anything that would "space him out".
Potions: It is very possible that he would take potions to either sleep or stay awake, or to stay focused despite being exhausted.
