I only know most comedians for what they do onstage. John Robins I know a little better, having played golf with him a few times in Edinburgh. He was a genial, skilful, competitive opponent. Maybe a little intense at times. I think it was PG Wodehouse who said if you want to know a man's character play golf with him. But the John Robins revealed in Thirst is a very different animal altogether to the one on the fairways.

 

This searing book is an autobiography told through twelve memorable drinks Robins has has since he was a very young child (plus some petrol and aftershave abuse). Of course, if he had only ever had twelve drinks it wouldn't be much to write home about. But in fact this is a book all about hidden private stashes of booze, secret drinking, rows of empty Captain Morgan rum bottles. Basically a life ruled, ruined and almost destroyed by alcoholism.

 

Robins writes movingly – and wittily – about his battles with the bottle. One can speculate that the roots might be connected to his father who left the family home when he was young and his ex-alcoholic stepfather, but blame is definitely never apportioned. There were times when he gave up, only to be pulled back in again, like a mafioso trying to leave the mob. On one memorable occasion when he was not drinking he was flatsharing with Jon Richardson who cooked such an exquisite lamb for lunch only an equally exquisite bottle of white wine would do. 

 

Somehow he managed to sustain a stand-up career through this. Never drunk onstage, always turning up for gigs. But he wasted a lot of time finding time to drink when not gigging. One if the themes of the book is how much of one's life one wastes with the admin of being a solitary alcoholic. 

 

Spoiler alert. Robins has now not drunk for over two years. He thanks a doctor who pretty much told him he'd be dead soon if he didn't stop, plus friends including podcast compadre Elis James, long term chum Robin Allender and, most of all, fellow comedian Lou Sanders, who had previously been through her own rock bottom.

 

Thirst is a powerful, painful read, laced liberally with humour, sometimes dark, sometimes light, sometimes Partridge-esque. It is one of life's lovely coincidences that this devoted fan of Steve Coogan's hapless broadcaster also has a bird-like surname. 

 

Fans of Robins the comedian will see another side of him here, as I did. Maybe drinkers will be prompted to recalibrate their lives after reading it – footnotes offer further advice as well as trigger warnings as some passages are very very grim.

 

These days Robins is a crosswords and camomile man. And golf of course. It's tees and teetotal for him now. Thirst eloquently explains why.