How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"The doctors told me […] that if any man alive had done the consistent drinking that I have, he would have been physically shattered, my dear, and in his grave—long in his grave." (1.1.156)
Beatrice Blaine seems to brag when she talks to Amory about how much drinking she's done over the years. She almost treats her alcoholism as a mark of sophistication. If she lived today she might have a t-shirt that says, "The liver is evil, it must be punished."
Quote #2
He put his face in his hands and covered eyes and ears as well as he could. During all this time it never occurred to him that he was delirious or drunk. (1.3.244)
Amory has a bad habit of not realizing when he's crossed the border between Tipsytown and Hammeredsville. You can tell by the way that he covers his eyes and ears that alcohol is something he uses to escape from the world and all its problems.
Quote #3
Wilson had another; Amory had several more. (2.2.22)
Once Rosalind has dumped him, Amory turns to drinking to help numb his pain. After all, it's hard to regret your past when you can't even think straight. Or so it would seem…
Quote #4
"Cel'brating blowmylife. Great moment blow my life. Can't tell you 'bout it—." (2.2.28)
Amory is willing to explain to people at the bar that he hates his life… well, he's willing to say it; we can't imagine that most people would understand it. But he's not willing to into the details of why. It looks like the guy has the makings of a world-class barfly.
Quote #5
He awoke laughing and his eyes lazily roamed his surroundings, evidently a bedroom and bath in a good hotel. (2.2.42)
Ah, and here comes the worst part of drinking—the hangover. The weird thing is that despite his stomach and headache, Amory wakes up laughing. He doesn't know where he is, but he's so depressed by this point that he doesn't care.
Quote #6
His head was whirring and picture after picture was forming and blurring and melting before his eyes, but beyond the desire to laugh he had no entirely conscious reaction. (2.2.42)
Everything around Amory keeps spinning when he has a hangover, which is really a symbolic reflection of how his whole life is spinning out of control.
Quote #7
As the new alcohol tumbled into his stomach and warmed him, the isolated pictures began slowly to form a cinema reel of the day before. (2.2.47)
It's only when Amory gets back to drinking that he's able to remember what he did that night before. You can tell at this point that he's totally dependent on alcohol because he can't function properly without it.
Quote #8
At noon he ran into a crowd in the Biltmore bar, and the riot began again. (2.2.57)
Amory isn't going to stop drinking until his mental pain goes away. But the problem is that drinking just leaves him feeling worse each morning, and the only way to feel better is to drink again. Now that's what you call a vicious cycle.
Quote #9
Amory crossed the street and had a high-ball; then he walked to Washington Square and found a top seat on a bus. (2.2.160)
Amory's favorite way to start his day is with a drink, especially after he's had his heart broken. But you have to wonder if he'd drink even if he didn't have his heart broken. After all, his problems with the world go deeper than failed romance. He seems to dislike everything about modern life.
Quote #10
Amory, his head spinning gorgeously, layer upon layer of soft satisfaction spreading over the bruised spots of his spirit, was discoursing volubly on the war. (2.2.222)
It's no surprise that Amory talks about fighting in World War I when he's drunk. The war has no doubt left a deep scar on his mind, and it's reasonable to think that it's the war, and not just Amory's broken engagement with Rosalind, that's at the heart of his drinking problem.