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. "
Fainting can also indicate pregnancy.
Agreed. Or any general mysterious unease that she easily overcomes, “She had been feeling a bit…‘off’ lately. Maybe it was the flu, maybe it was the stress, but either way she had to go on. The dizziness took her for a moment, but she shook her head and pushed it away. She had to keep moving forward. There was no time.” All so that later we can think wow, and she did it all while pregnant.