Dead Drunk in Dublin – Two Weeks I Will Never Forget
It is now six months since my book Dead Drunk was released. I went back to Ireland to promote the launch and this was such an exciting time. It was when one of my lifetime ambitions became a reality; something I created was on sale in shops across the city where I grew up. Getting a book on the shelves is always nice but there is just something special to see it there in your home town. The publicity for the book meant that I got a lot of attention for a couple of weeks – a period of my life that I’ll never forget.
Why the Release of Dead Drunk Meant so Much to Me
These days it isn’t such a big deal to have other people read our ramblings. The internet and the popularity of blogs means that some of us have more people reading our content each week then Charles Dickens probably had reading his work during his whole lifetime. I love blogs but there is just something so appealing about a book. I’ve always been fascinated by them; even before I could read. Growing up my favourite place in the world was the library and my library ticket was like a ticket to Disney Land – books were like a gateway to another world. For years my favourite book shop in the world was Easons on O’Connell Street; this was the first place I went when Dead Drunk hit the shops. So for me getting my book in the shops was a very big deal.
The other reason why the release of Dead Drunk was so important to me was that it was my story. It grew out of my suffering over two decades but it is more than just a tale of despair. It’s a story of how people can change no matter how far they fall; an important message that may benefit people who have almost given up hope. My method of getting sober was unorthodox; most people don’t end up on their knees in a Thai temple. It is this part of the story that seems to have caught the attention of a lot of people though.
Two Weeks That Went By in a Blur
I spent just over two weeks promoting Dead Drunk in Ireland – it all went by in a blur like I really was dead drunk. During that time I told my story again and again on the radio, on TV, and to reporters – I even gave a public talk. On one day alone I had four radio interviews. Amazing things began to happen; although I didn’t really have time to appreciate them. Friends that I hadn’t heard of since primary school contacted and this was so wonderful. A couple of people even recognised me from the television. The high point was during a book signing where a guy had waited a couple of hours just so that I could sign his copy of Dead Drunk. This particular book signing was at Easons on O’Connell Street – the bookshop that was once the centre of my universe.
After You Achieve Your Dreams – What Next?
I have no idea what the future will hold; there may not be any more book signings or indeed book launches. I would like to think that there will be but who knows what tomorrow will bring. The one thing I do know is that the two weeks in Dublin will never be repeated. At the time my sister Elaine told me to enjoy the attention because it was a once in a lifetime deal – she was right about this.
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The Story of How I Managed to Get My Book Dead Drunk Published
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Paul, conquering your addiction AND writing/launching a book is more than many people achieve in a life time. Kudos!
By the way, I watched your last video post on the ‘Benefits of Alcoholism, and found it interesting. However, you’ll have to update your profile photo soon, your ‘mindful eating’ is starting to show 😉
Hi Snap, you’re the second person to notice that I’d lost weight in that video. My profile photo was taken around the same time of the book launch and my weight then was about what it is now. For some reason though my current weight loss seems to be showing in my face more than anywhere else – I hope that this trend doesn’t continue.
I do feel privileged to have that experience with Dead Drunk; the problem is that once you have achieved one dream you want to achieve them all 🙂