I know this is probably a common topic. For me, I’m not sure if it’s a “trope” or just totally misinformed writing, but it’s how many authors approach alcoholism. Some examples are Girl on the Train and The House Across the Lake, among HUNDREDS. If anyone else here has struggled with alcoholism, you know it’s not just "i woke up after downing an entire bottle of whiskey but was able to shower, down a cup of coffee, and solve a murder. "
The main character having a form of mental illness where he forgets stuff, or has hallucinations, on which the whole story hinges.
Shutter Island, Alan Wake, TV episodes where the characters take drugs. It’s just random scenes for the whole story with some sort of revelation at the end. Scenes don’t have to make sense, since the main character is not in his right mind.
Mr. Robot is the only story (tv series) that really redeemed this aspect with a really good conclusion. While watching it, it sucked though. It turns out it’s well thought out and the 4 seasons are clearly written with the ending in mind. There’s a different aspect of this series that I flat out don’t like though, which I won’t get into now.