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A Portrait of the Piss Artist as a Young Man

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What to expect

It was love at first taste for fifteen-year-old Tadhg Hickey when he drank a can of Scrumpy Jack on the night of his exam results. Straight away it provided a cure for that constant feeling of 'something wrong, something not quite right', a way of numbing anxiety and childhood trauma. He realised he was extraordinarily good at drinking and energetically threw himself into a life of pubs, parties and staying pissed, while also managing to become a comedian. But alcohol had the last laugh ...

A Portrait of the Piss Artist as a Young Man shows us the often-hilarious lengths of self-deception an alcoholic will go to, the horrific consequences of addiction and the redemptive process of recovering from this deadly but ultimately treatable illness, and remaining sober. A deeply touching memoir and with a side of self-help, Tadhg's easy-going writing style belies his serious message - that each of us has the power to change our lives.

Critics Review

  • ‘Tadhg has mastered the skill of making the difficult shit that us humans deal with in life accessible, through a beautiful irreverent cocktail of vulnerability, hilarity, emotional intelligence and charm’

    Niall Breslin, aka Bressie

  • ‘An amazing story of addiction and redemption’

    author of the Ross O'Carroll-Kelly series

  • ‘Hickey’s memoir is self-deprecating and well-paced, but the liveliness is a smokescreen for his more serious intent. However familiar the addiction arc, Hickey’s candour could actually really help people, especially those noticing the “craic” mutating into something decidedly less fun’

    Irish Times

  • ‘[A] memoir of catastrophe and eventual triumph’

    Independent Westmeath

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