An open red padlock with a brass key and a pale feather on a mustard-yellow background.

Original artwork, not a still

Hunter S. Thompson

I wouldn't recommend alcohol and drugs to anyone. But they have always worked for me.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker opens with a disclaimer, refusing to recommend alcohol and drugs, then undercuts it with a shrug: they've always worked for the speaker personally. The humour comes from that flip between a responsible-sounding warning and a cheerfully unrepentant personal report, delivered as if both were equally true.

Context reviewed

Share this quote