The Addiction of Mary Todd Lincoln

by Anne E. Beidler

Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of the president we have immortalized, has ­always been difficult for us to understand. She could appear poised and ­brilliant one moment, yet rude and ugly the next. Sometimes competent and strong, able to entertain dignitaries from around the world, at other times she ­appeared dependent and weak. At times she seemed utterly beside ­herself with sobbing and screaming.
Historians have mostly avoided saying very much about Mary Todd ­Lincoln except in reference to her husband, Abraham. To many it would seem that Mary Todd Lincoln is still an embarrassment in the tragic story of her martyred husband. But Mary Todd Lincoln lived her own tragic story even before Abraham was murdered. She was an addict, addicted to the opiates she needed for her migraine headaches.

Seeing Mary Todd Lincoln as an addict helps us understand her and give her the compassion and admiration she deserves. In her time there had been no courageous First Lady like Betty Ford to help people ­understand the power of addiction. There was no treatment center. In Mary Todd Lincoln’s time there were many addicts at all levels of society, as there are now, but it was a more socially acceptable condition for men to have than for women. More importantly, addiction was not very well understood, and it was often mistreated.

Because Mary Todd Lincoln’s only surviving son, Robert Lincoln, made a great effort to protect his mother and his family from journalists and ­historians, he intentionally destroyed most of Mary Todd Lincoln’s medical records and many of her letters. What he could not destroy, however, is the record of Mary Todd Lincoln’s pain and the record of how she behaved while living with this pain.

In The Addiction of Mary Todd Lincoln, we can see clearly, for the first time, what Mary Todd Lincoln had to live with and the courage it took for her to carry on.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Historical, American History, American

203 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 3, 2009

Reviews

[Peyton Stafford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not so much a biography as an analysis of Mary Todd Lincoln's life from the point of view of an addiction counselor, which is the author's profession. The author believes that Mrs. Lincoln became an opiate addict after being treated with opiates for recurring migraines, and that Mary Todd Lincoln's sometimes bizarre and erratic behavior was the result of this addiction. By dividing Mrs. Lincoln's life into three sections (childhood, adult married life, widowhood) and examining her for the signs and symptoms of mental illness and addiction in each of these periods, Anne Beidler builds her case that young Mary Todd was quite healthy, but that when Mary began taking opiates for migraines her personality began to deteriorate in a pattern typical of drug addicts, and that after Abraham Lincoln's assassination and the deaths of two of the Lincoln children, Mary Todd Lincoln slid into insanity. The author also discusses Abraham Lincoln's apparent co-dependency and the effect of drug and alcohol addiction on the Lincolns, the Todds, and their circle.

I would recommend this book to persons interested in drug addiction and treatment, and also to those who are interested in Mary Todd Lincoln and, of course, Abraham Lincoln.

[Sarah Mallett · Rating 2 out of 5]

College term paper?????

College term paper?????

interesting topic and compelling subject matter. but this book read like a college term paper. it was rather one note and flat.

[Karen Klink · Rating 2 out of 5]

This title is not a biography. The author concerns herself solely with Mary Todd Lincoln's addiction to opium and its derivatives.

I do not like giving less than a three-star review, especially to authors I would like to consider friends. Authors and writers should support one another, especially women authors, and I spend a good deal of my time doing so by reading and reviewing. On the other hand, I have an even higher responsibility to readers. I must give what I believe to be an honest review. That means not just what I believe, but WHY.

Though well-researched, the author begins by listing four questions about Mary T. Lincoln which she explains to the reader, then proceeds to answer each one. For example: "How did she look? How did she feel? How did she behave? What did she value? I do understand that the author is attempting to show how one may be affected by the onset of addiction, but I hope to expect that by publication we are past the point of college freshman term papers.

Once she begins to write decent narrative, her cites constantly interrupt. I received the impression she is concerned the reader might not believe even one sentence without a cite. I hoped for more than a mere compilation of research.

The narrative becomes most interesting when she discusses the emergence of drugs and addiction on the nineteenth century, and when she relates the impact of drugs to Mary Lincoln.

The author's final words concerning the power of opium and its derivatives on persons and society is strong and insightful.

In conclusion, the author might have done better to let this manuscript sit for a few months or a year then come back to it for a rewrite, for it has possibilities. The above is all my opinion, of course.

[BJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I found it fairly insightful as well as full of interesting facts.

My criticism would be that I don’t believe that anything other than addiction has been explored. I feel like Mary Todd Lincoln endured a lot during her marriage to Lincoln and the strong possibility of PTSD isn’t being considered along with addiction.

I feel if I’d lost 3 out of 4 children, my husband was assassinated and my only living child had me committed to an insane asylum I might behave similarly without the possibility opiate addiction.

Opiate addiction was a sad fact of that time for many people, and there’s a lot to be learned about addiction from that particular time period. Mary Todd was far from the only person affected by this Dr. prescribed medicine.

I feel she was and still is often times receiving an unfair rap.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Addiction is a long time problem

I learned a great deal about Mary Todd Lincoln’s history and even more about addiction. The information presented here was described clearly and very educational as well as eye-opening.
I was surprised to learn that so many drugs caused so much addiction as far back as the 1800’s. Also how easily drugs were available and prescribed. Here we are in 2022 and addiction still needs so much more education, addicts need better ways to be helped.

[Cheryl Lopatka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

This was a book outlining the probable addiction of Mary Todd Lincoln to drugs prescribed by her doctor's for migraine headaches. It seems logical as presented and I enjoyed reading it.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated with Abraham Lincoln and his family, especially his wife who seemed so elusive and distant and different from other women in her time, so when I saw this offer as a free Kindle download, I snapped it up. It then became my "waiting room" book, so it took a while to read. I think many people assume drug addiction, aside from alcohol addiction perhaps, is a modern-day problem. Anne Beidler's discourse on Mary Todd Lincoln and her addiction to the opiates she used to manage her crushing headaches soon puts that theory to rest. It becomes very obvious that limited knowledge of the side-effects of drugs, a limited number of treatment options for most maladies, and a poor understanding of the cycle of addiction contributed to Mary Todd Lincoln's fall from grace and the spiral that ended with an untimely death. Beidler takes the reader through Mary's deepening dependency, referencing historical letters and biographical information, describes drug use and abuse in Mary's time period, sketches a historical perspective of addiction in her family, and walks through each aspect of an addict's life including physical changes, behavioral changes, and social isolation. The fact that the author herself also struggled with addiction, understanding the nuances of that spiraling fall, helps her articulate both the historical facts of Mary Todd Lincoln's dependence and the emotional struggles she must have had. A good read that provided me with a great deal of insight and understanding not only of Mary Todd Lincoln, but also of all people struggling with addictions.

[Lauren Curley · Rating 3 out of 5]

In wanting to learn more about MTL, I read this book. I did learn more about her, but I mainly learned about addictions. I didn't know so much about addictive personalities and the use of opiates at that time. It is a plausible conclusion that MTL was addicted to opiates and that was her personal downfall. Some of the conclusions made in this book didn't seem to be backed up. For example, blanket statements like "we can conclude that her half sister was also an addict" with little to no evidence. This book reads like a textbook, but if you are interested in addiction during this time period, it can spark discussion and a better understanding. If you are just interested in MTL, I would pick something else.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anne Beidler takes a look at Mary Todd Lincoln's life to support her theory that Mrs. Linclon was addicted to painkillers (opiates) as many women were in her day. She makes a plausible case in this short volume that also reveals a lot about the use of drugs, the social implications and the "treatment" in the 19th Century. There are a few inconsistencies such as her assertion the Mrs. Lincoln's son Robert having her comitted to an insane asylum as the only way she could be treated for her addiction when it was widely known that part of the treatment in such places was the administration of opiates to make the patients more manageable.

The book is an easy interesting read whether you agree with the author or not.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some speculation concerning Mary Todd Lincoln's life. If Mary was using laudanum for pain reliever in 1800's, and later showing an erratic behavior sometimes very generous, and the next time disagreeable, and quick tempered to people or friends around her it doesn't mean that she was a drug addict.

I don't believe for a fact, that she was insane when she was sent to an Asylum. I think her change of manner was due to her husband's (Abraham Lincoln's) assassination, and her son Tad's passing after and didn't recovered. A widow, and a mother in deep depression, and mourning her two love one's. Ostracized by the media, friends, and family of course she was going to act that way.

[Andrea Pegarella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked much of it, but there was a generalized focus on addiction that was a bit repetitive. It might have been better if the author had written about more addicts from the 1800s, than just our Mary Todd Lincoln. There was mention of other famous addicts and elaboration would have been welcome.

[Michelle Silvestri-Oetinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was largely about drug addiction. I enjoyed the information and hypothesis about what Mary Todd Lincoln may have been dealing with. She certainly lived a life filled with pain and sorrow! I would like to read more about her!

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

It never occurred to me that Mrs. Lincoln was an addict and that could explain her peculiar behavior. I am glad I had the opportunity to read this book and to have learned much about the times as well as Mrs. Lincoln.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite books on Mary Lincoln. Explains her problems, the causes and the results.

[Karen Mienke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative book about 19th century drug addiction.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad...could have been better but, if true, have some logical justification for her behavior.

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting Read

I really liked this book! The author paints such a vivid picture of an addictive personality through Mary Todd Lincoln. We are currently having an opioid add I tion crisis in the USA, not that much different than what we experienced in the 1800's. Those who forget the past. . .

Mary Todd Lincoln is such a tragic historical figure. The very real possibility of her addiction now makes sense of ererratic , mood swings and other personality traits.

The author illustrates by example the extreme need to procure these drugs for survival. Not having an addictive personality having these examples helps foster understanding in the add I tion processes in my own family.

I recommend this book!