Here's Hunter S. Thompson's daily routine
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Hunter S. Thompson’s Daily Routine Would Kill Most Of Us
Don’t try this at home, kids

Chris Zappa
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Nov 22 · 4 min read

Hunter S. Thompson by John Venzel is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Much has been written about the man, the myth, the literary legend Hunter S. Thompson. His unique voice and the style of gonzo journalism he pioneered have both fascinated and captivated generations of readers and writers alike, myself included. For as many who try to imitate and emulate him, just as many fail spectacularly.
“If you’re going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you’re going to be locked up.” — Hunter S. Thompson
Exceptionally unmatched and truly one-of-a-kind in every regard, there has never been anyone else like him before or since. Among all the words that come to mind when thinking about the good doctor, one, in particular, stands out: inimitable.
In addition to his writing and wit, his insanely dangerous lifestyle is truly the stuff of which legends are made. Famously known for his excessive drinking, drugging, smoking, and obsession with blowing things up — with guns, explosives, or both — he was the quintessential renaissance madman. He’s famously quoted as saying:
“I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.” — Hunter S. Thompson
These days, everyone is interested in the daily routines of people like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. People think that by adopting the habits and schedules of men like these that they too can achieve similar levels of success. Yawn. If that sounds ridiculous boring, that’s because it is. Nevertheless, the fascination with this type of thing is widespread. He may never have achieved great financial success like Musk or Bezos, but it’s undeniable that he lived life to the fullest, right up till the end when, sadly, he took his own life at the age of 67. Thompson’s daily schedule would terrify and offend 9 out of 10 doctors — there’s always a quack here or there who might advocate such insanity — and would most certainly quickly kill most mere mortals. Hunter was wonderfully abnormal.
“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.” — Hunter S. Thompson
American journalist, author, and columnist E. Jean Carroll documented a typical day in his life for her book, Hunter: The Strange and Savage Life of Hunter S. Thompson, which, guaranteed, is unlike any other daily schedule you’ll ever see. It went like this.
3:00pm: Rise 3:05pm: Chivas Regal w/ the morning papers, Dunhills (cigarettes) 3:45pm: Cocaine 3:50pm: Another glass of Chivas, Dunhills 4:05pm: First cup of coffee, Dunhill 4:15pm: Cocaine 4:16pm: Orange juice, Dunhill 4:30pm: Cocaine 4:54pm: Cocaine 5:05pm: Cocaine 5:11pm: Coffee, Dunhills 5:30pm: More ice in the Chivas 5:45pm: Cocaine, etc., etc. 6:00pm: Grass to take the edge off the day 7:05pm: Woody Creek Tavern for lunch consisting of Heineken, two margaritas, coleslaw, a taco salad, a double order of fried onion rings, carrot cake, ice cream, a bean fritter, Dunhills, another Heineken, cocaine, and for the ride home, a snow cone (a glass of shredded ice over which is poured three or four shots of Chivas) 9:00pm: Starts snorting cocaine seriously(!) 10:00pm: Drops acid 11:00pm: Chartreuse, cocaine, grass 11:30pm: Cocaine, etc., etc. 12:00am: Hunter S. Thompson is ready to write 12:05–6:00am: Chartreuse, cocaine, grass, Chivas, coffee, Heineken, clove cigarettes, grapefruit, Dunhills, orange juice, gin, continuous pornographic movies 6:00am: Hot tub, champagne, Dove Bars, fettuccine alfredo 8:00am: Halcyon 8:20am: Sleep