Monk was in The Zone, man. Deeply, deeply zoned. That was Bird's temporary ticket out of The Zone. Heroin will indeed turn it off, but only for a little while. There are wonderful reasons to be a writer.
Writing is an attempt to tell the truth-I'm only beginning to realize what a difficult task that is.
It is also a fine way to explore different versions of reality, of which there are millions. I can't wait to go back.