one reality does not erase the other.
His later career similarly resists a simple transformation story in which everything became perfect after treatment. Human lives rarely follow such neat structures. Sobriety did not eliminate introversion, uncertainty, relationship challenges, or professional setbacks. Instead, it allowed McCarthy to face those parts of life without relying on alcohol. The decades that followed involved continuing development rather than a single miraculous solution. That makes the story more credible and ultimately more interesting.
Travel became particularly important in that process because it required McCarthy to
