This was essentially my own reaction. If you've read his novels (which are mostly autobiographical), it is obvious that his alcoholism is far from anything glam

This was essentially my own reaction. If you've read his novels (which are mostly autobiographical), it is obvious that his alcoholism is far from anything glamorous. His entire life looks like a trainwreck (especially Factotum), complete with brushes with skid row, and a lot of this can be chalked up to drink.