‘I wanted alcohol to take me to a place where I was not’: comedian John Robins on the moment he realised he had a drinking problem

For most of his life, John Robins assumed he got more out of alcohol than it took from him. Now he knows it was the other way round • ‘I picked up the bottle of wine and drank straight out of it. I was seven’ Read an exclusive extract from his new memoir The comedian John Robins has always loved talking about booze. In his standup, he used to portray himself as a bon viveur who knew how to give himself the best of times; a larky drinker out for a laugh; a nerdy tippler who recorded nights out...

By Simon Hattenstone