Thompson's early work was fantastic. He virtually invented the genre of "new journalism" (along with Tom Wolfe). The sad truth is he destroyed his writing via drug abuse. His last significant work was covering the 1972 presidential election for Rolling Stone magazine. This means his writing career derailed at age 35 even though he lived another 32 years. This is sad for Thompson, his family and his fans. Your story is interesting, but you've ignored the elephant in the room. Thompson's daily routine destroyed him. Long before he blew his own brains out, he began a slow suicide through this daily routine you depict.