L.M. Montgomery’s Tragic Drug Addiction
The author of the beloved Anne of Green Gables series was addicted to prescription drugs and died of suicide by overdose.
Anne of Green Gables is a literary classic. Set in the 19th century, the novel tells the story of Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan girl mistakenly sent to siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who originally wanted a boy to help out on their farm.
Not only does Anne eventually win over the Cuthberts, but throughout the series, she finds friendship, love, and community in the fictional town of Avonlea in Prince Edward Island, Canada.
I, along with millions of children worldwide, fell in love with “Anne with an E” and the magical world created by author Lucy Maud Montgomery. Translated into over 36 languages, the world’s collective love affair with this spunky redhead has spawned countless film, television, and stage adaptations.
But behind this iconic novel is an agonizing story of pain, addiction, and suicide.
A story with haunting parallels to the modern opioid epidemic
As a schoolteacher whose husband was a preacher, Montgomery didn’t seem like your stereotypical drug addict. She certainly didn’t look like one. Photos of the late author show a grandmotherly type with round spectacles and pearls.
But as the current opioid crisis has taught us, drug addiction doesn’t discriminate in selecting its victims. There’s no such thing as a stereotypical drug addict.
Both Montgomery and her husband, Ewan Macdonald, suffered from anxiety, nerves, and insomnia. The couple turned to doctors for help, who were all too eager to prescribe barbiturates and bromides (known for their soothing qualities), without warning them of the dangers of addiction.
Exacerbating the drug dependency was their alcohol use, which Montgomery documented extensively in her personal journals. In one journal entry, she recalled having to give Macdonald a shot of homemade wine before his sermons when his anxiety was too overwhelming.
