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Thirst: Twelve Drinks That Changed My Life
Not yet published
Expected 7 May 26John Robins is a critically acclaimed stand-up comedian, Taskmaster champion, and an award-winning broadcaster. He is also an alcoholic.
But what does that mean? What is an alcoholic?
In Thirst, John tells the story of his life through the lens of alcohol, the drinks that made him, and those that broke him. From his earliest drinking experiences – pretending to be drunk after a sip of champagne aged five, spraying aftershave into his mouth at the school play afterparty, and university nights spent downing red wine alone in his room – to his last drink in 2022 and the journey into sobriety that followed, John explores our relationship with alcohol through reflections on decades of his own drinking.
From hazy memory to sudden clarity he sheds light on subjects from mental health to friendship, from creativity to the lies we tell ourselves, and answers questions such are alcoholics born or made? How can we make sense of youthful missteps? And can Buddhism provide relief when dealing with haemorrhoids?
Filled with insights and epiphanies from the world of addiction and recovery, Thirst blends John’s trademark raw honesty and hilarious digressions with the collective wisdom of alcoholics and those around them to offer a compelling, powerful and morbidly funny narrative for anyone who has ever asked 'why do we drink?', 'why do I drink?' or 'do I drink too much?'.
But what does that mean? What is an alcoholic?
In Thirst, John tells the story of his life through the lens of alcohol, the drinks that made him, and those that broke him. From his earliest drinking experiences – pretending to be drunk after a sip of champagne aged five, spraying aftershave into his mouth at the school play afterparty, and university nights spent downing red wine alone in his room – to his last drink in 2022 and the journey into sobriety that followed, John explores our relationship with alcohol through reflections on decades of his own drinking.
From hazy memory to sudden clarity he sheds light on subjects from mental health to friendship, from creativity to the lies we tell ourselves, and answers questions such are alcoholics born or made? How can we make sense of youthful missteps? And can Buddhism provide relief when dealing with haemorrhoids?
Filled with insights and epiphanies from the world of addiction and recovery, Thirst blends John’s trademark raw honesty and hilarious digressions with the collective wisdom of alcoholics and those around them to offer a compelling, powerful and morbidly funny narrative for anyone who has ever asked 'why do we drink?', 'why do I drink?' or 'do I drink too much?'.
325 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication May 7, 2026
About the author
John Robins
3 books11 followersLibrarian Note: There are several authors in the GoodReads database with this name. This profile will contain more than one author. Those listed below have multiple books listed on GoodReads.
John Robins (2 spaces): Dartmoor books
John Robins (3 spaces): comedy, podcast
John Robins (2 spaces): Dartmoor books
John Robins (3 spaces): comedy, podcast
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March 21, 2026I hadn’t heard of John Robins before this, but the subject matter alone was enough to pull me in. Having spent years working in emergency medicine, with a particular interest in mental health and substance misuse, I was very curious about this one when Viking sent a proof my way.
It did not disappoint.
Thirst is sharp, sad, funny, and far more affecting than I expected it to be. Robins writes about alcohol with a kind of brutal clarity, tracing his life through the drinks that marked it, shaped it, excused it, and eventually helped expose just how much was unravelling underneath. It’s not sensationalised, and it’s not self-pitying either. In fact, one of the most striking things about it is how steady the tone feels, even when he’s writing about things that are messy, painful, or hard to sit with.
There’s a real tenderness to this book. Beneath the humour and the digressions and the brilliantly observed bits of self-awareness, it’s a story about vulnerability, denial, loneliness, and the long, slow business of telling yourself the truth. It asks difficult questions about why people drink, what alcohol covers up, and how hard it can be to separate drinking culture from drinking problems in a world that makes so much space for one and so little for the other.
What I really appreciated was that it never tips into being preachy or judgemental. Robins is honest about the damage, honest about the absurdity, and honest about himself.
It isn’t always an easy read, nor should it be, but there’s still something unexpectedly hopeful running through it. Dryly funny, moving, and thoughtful, this is a really powerful memoir.
Thanks to the publisher for kindly sending me a proof copy. All opinions my own.
It did not disappoint.
Thirst is sharp, sad, funny, and far more affecting than I expected it to be. Robins writes about alcohol with a kind of brutal clarity, tracing his life through the drinks that marked it, shaped it, excused it, and eventually helped expose just how much was unravelling underneath. It’s not sensationalised, and it’s not self-pitying either. In fact, one of the most striking things about it is how steady the tone feels, even when he’s writing about things that are messy, painful, or hard to sit with.
There’s a real tenderness to this book. Beneath the humour and the digressions and the brilliantly observed bits of self-awareness, it’s a story about vulnerability, denial, loneliness, and the long, slow business of telling yourself the truth. It asks difficult questions about why people drink, what alcohol covers up, and how hard it can be to separate drinking culture from drinking problems in a world that makes so much space for one and so little for the other.
What I really appreciated was that it never tips into being preachy or judgemental. Robins is honest about the damage, honest about the absurdity, and honest about himself.
It isn’t always an easy read, nor should it be, but there’s still something unexpectedly hopeful running through it. Dryly funny, moving, and thoughtful, this is a really powerful memoir.
Thanks to the publisher for kindly sending me a proof copy. All opinions my own.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thanks to Viking for the gifted proof of this title in return for an honest review.
I don't know much about alcoholism, but I do love John Robins. I think he's so funny and seems a lovely guy, so this had been on my wishlist ever since it was announced. It was really surprising to see these demons he's had to live with, really eye-opening stuff.
I knew it wouldn't be an easy book to read but it was definitely an important one.
He has been so open and honest and it's not always positive - in fact, the majority of it is not positive. And yet it still has this air of positivity and hope about it that's hard to explain but you'll feel when you read it.
As someone who has never really been a drinker - we're talking one glass of wine every few weeks - and grew up with a teetotal (now, late) father, alcohol was never a big thing when growing up. And so it can be hard to imagine what life can really be like if it has that much of a hold over you and so this really shocked me.
You can really hear his voice in this. And I know that sounds weird because of course you can, it's him writing and it's his story, of course it's his voice. But some people get a writer's voice that is different from their own, but you can hear the same person in this book as you hear on his podcast or on the stage or on TV, and I think that comes from how honest he's been.
And it's really funny. I'm not sure why I'm surprised at this given he's a comedian. But he's managed to infuse this honestly sad story with his dry wit - particularly the section about his bottom (which is a delight you need to read for yourself).
It is very moving. I don't mean that in a weeping into your book in a dark room kind of thing - although there's no judgement if you do that. It's a quite tenderness, his honesty in regards to the dark sides of a life that from the outside looks to be glamorous - travel, fame, money. He's not being preachy. He's not telling the reader that alcohol and drinking alcohol is inherently a bad thing and that everyone who has a drink is sure to become an alcoholic. Because that's not true. He's telling the reader of his own experiences and the detrimental effect drinking had on him and, above all, in my opinion, he is telling the reader that it is okay to struggle, it's okay to have dark moments, and it's okay to reach out for help. And to come from a male figure in showbusiness, I think it's vital for readers, particularly young men who might be using alcohol as a crutch or a barrier or a mask, that it's okay to ask for help.
I read a fair amount of memoirs and autobiographies and some I like and some I don't. Some are a bit drawn out, focussing on too many things that might be interesting to them but not to the reader. And some that focus too much on one or two things that the reader gets bored and finds it repetitive. John has found that perfect middle ground. Everything about this is perfect and I wish I could put a copy in everyone's hand.
I read it over two days but in all it probably only took me a few hours because it was so absorbing. He's written it as if he's talking to a friend, and for those few hours it really felt like I was talking to a friend. It felt like I could ring him up and say "Hey I finished your book and it's fucking fantastic".
I don't know much about alcoholism, but I do love John Robins. I think he's so funny and seems a lovely guy, so this had been on my wishlist ever since it was announced. It was really surprising to see these demons he's had to live with, really eye-opening stuff.
I knew it wouldn't be an easy book to read but it was definitely an important one.
He has been so open and honest and it's not always positive - in fact, the majority of it is not positive. And yet it still has this air of positivity and hope about it that's hard to explain but you'll feel when you read it.
As someone who has never really been a drinker - we're talking one glass of wine every few weeks - and grew up with a teetotal (now, late) father, alcohol was never a big thing when growing up. And so it can be hard to imagine what life can really be like if it has that much of a hold over you and so this really shocked me.
You can really hear his voice in this. And I know that sounds weird because of course you can, it's him writing and it's his story, of course it's his voice. But some people get a writer's voice that is different from their own, but you can hear the same person in this book as you hear on his podcast or on the stage or on TV, and I think that comes from how honest he's been.
And it's really funny. I'm not sure why I'm surprised at this given he's a comedian. But he's managed to infuse this honestly sad story with his dry wit - particularly the section about his bottom (which is a delight you need to read for yourself).
It is very moving. I don't mean that in a weeping into your book in a dark room kind of thing - although there's no judgement if you do that. It's a quite tenderness, his honesty in regards to the dark sides of a life that from the outside looks to be glamorous - travel, fame, money. He's not being preachy. He's not telling the reader that alcohol and drinking alcohol is inherently a bad thing and that everyone who has a drink is sure to become an alcoholic. Because that's not true. He's telling the reader of his own experiences and the detrimental effect drinking had on him and, above all, in my opinion, he is telling the reader that it is okay to struggle, it's okay to have dark moments, and it's okay to reach out for help. And to come from a male figure in showbusiness, I think it's vital for readers, particularly young men who might be using alcohol as a crutch or a barrier or a mask, that it's okay to ask for help.
I read a fair amount of memoirs and autobiographies and some I like and some I don't. Some are a bit drawn out, focussing on too many things that might be interesting to them but not to the reader. And some that focus too much on one or two things that the reader gets bored and finds it repetitive. John has found that perfect middle ground. Everything about this is perfect and I wish I could put a copy in everyone's hand.
I read it over two days but in all it probably only took me a few hours because it was so absorbing. He's written it as if he's talking to a friend, and for those few hours it really felt like I was talking to a friend. It felt like I could ring him up and say "Hey I finished your book and it's fucking fantastic".
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Although I had never heard of John Robins before, this book instantly drew me in with it surrounding a topic that you don’t often see truly shown in a realistic way in novels.
You can instantly tell from the get go that John Robins is a comedian. You can also tell that he’s an alcoholic. Despite this however, the topic of alcoholism and his struggle with it is always handled in such a sensitive way, whilst also trying to make light of it in a way that is understandable.
It truly conveys the message that sometimes being brutally honest with yourself is the answer to a lot of problems and is the first step in order to make some real changes. Don’t be fooled - this isn’t a comfortable read. It’s raw, it’s real and it’s a road to realisation for the author that things needed to change.
I got through this one so quickly and genuinely couldn’t put it down. Thank you to Penguin Fig Tree/Viking Books for sending me a proof copy.
Thirst by John Robins releases on the 7th May 2026. Not long to go!
4.5⭐️
You can instantly tell from the get go that John Robins is a comedian. You can also tell that he’s an alcoholic. Despite this however, the topic of alcoholism and his struggle with it is always handled in such a sensitive way, whilst also trying to make light of it in a way that is understandable.
It truly conveys the message that sometimes being brutally honest with yourself is the answer to a lot of problems and is the first step in order to make some real changes. Don’t be fooled - this isn’t a comfortable read. It’s raw, it’s real and it’s a road to realisation for the author that things needed to change.
I got through this one so quickly and genuinely couldn’t put it down. Thank you to Penguin Fig Tree/Viking Books for sending me a proof copy.
Thirst by John Robins releases on the 7th May 2026. Not long to go!
4.5⭐️
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews