Thirst – John Robins

Published By: Viking
Pages: 320
Released On: 07/05/2026

John 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 as: 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?’.

*****

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”.