In response to questions about Annie’s inspiration, Stephen King cited his own substance abuse and drug addiction. He described Annie Wilkes as a personification of his dependence on cocaine and alcohol, calling her his “drug problem” and his “number-one fan.”
That comparison reflects Annie’s role in Misery: she is terrifying, destructive, and controlling, yet she also compels Paul Sheldon to keep writing. King’s addiction similarly dominated his life and creative work, creating a relationship that was both productive and personally damaging. He later wrote openly about his alcoholism and cocaine addiction in his memoir On Writing.
A common mix-up is to confuse the inspiration for Annie with the origin of the novel’s plot. King has also said that Misery began with a dream about a writer imprisoned by a fan, partly inspired by Evelyn Waugh’s story “The Man Who Loved Dickens.” Those details explain the premise, but the clear autobiographical correlation between Annie herself and something in King’s life is his substance abuse—especially cocaine addiction.