Mark Francis O’Sullivan Author
COVENTRY TO COMBER - AN IRISH STORY OF ADDICTION AND RECOVERY
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In 1990, at twenty-three years old, Mark Francis O’Sullivan was drinking himself toward an early grave. Vodka for breakfast, blackouts that erased entire weekends, and a growing certainty that if he didn’t stop, alcohol would kill him. So he quit—cold turkey. No rehab, no Alcoholics Anonymous, no professional help. Just fear, isolation, and determination. That was thirty-five years ago. He hasn’t had a drink since.
Coventry to Comber is a raw, honest account of addiction and long-term recovery told from a working-class perspective rarely seen in traditional sobriety books. Born in Coventry to Irish parents, O’Sullivan grew up feeling overwhelmed, out of step, and unable to explain why life felt harder for him than for others. Years later, he would discover the reason: undiagnosed autism and ADHD, and a brain that never switched off. Alcohol wasn’t about pleasure—it was self-medication.
This book follows his journey from chaotic drinking and lost potential through the hardest early days of sobriety and into the long, ongoing work of rebuilding a life without alcohol. It explores identity, shame, temptation, grief, and the challenge of staying sober in a culture where drinking is normal and expected.
Each chapter blends lived experience with reflection and practical insight, offering tools readers can use whether they are newly sober, struggling after years without drink, or still trying to find the courage to stop. There are no slogans, no preaching, and no claim that there is only one right way to recover.
This book is for those who never quite fitted the recovery mould—for people who tried AA and felt like outsiders, for neurodivergent readers who drank to cope with overload, and for anyone who knows their drinking can’t continue but doesn’t know where to begin.
Coventry to Comber doesn’t promise miracles. It offers something better: understanding, honesty, and proof that sobriety is possible—even when it doesn’t feel like it.
Meet Mark Francis O’Sullivan
Mark Francis O’Sullivan -
Father
Author & Husband
Creative Storyteller
Voice of Contemporary Literature
Reader Reviews
The story of a second generation Irishman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 January 2026 · Format: Paperback · Verified Purchase
This book tells the story of a second generation Irishman from his early days, the tragic early loss of his Mother, and continues his journey from his first drink to his last and beyond. The honest accounts of drinking in Irish pubs and the Pogues-style drinking culture which was prevalent in the 80s are shared, along with regrets he carries from those days. But this book is not about regrets it’s about how the author has found a way to win in life and identity that for him that alcohol was a problem, and with great determination and courage he has shown others in the same position that they can turn a corner in life and make their loved ones proud. A brilliant read.
— Gerard Hunter
Proof that recovery is possible.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed in Canada on January 10, 2026 · Format: Kindle Edition
A raw, honest look at addiction and long-term recovery, told from a working-class voice we rarely hear in sobriety books. It follows the journey from chaotic drinking and missed chances to the tough early days of sobriety and the long, steady work of rebuilding life without alcohol. It’s never preachy and never claims there’s only one right way. It’s for anyone who knows their drinking needs to change but doesn’t know where to start.
— Adelia Gamedov
Top reviews from Germany
An Honest, Grounded Story of Sobriety and Survival
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed in Germany on 7 January 2026 · Format: Paperback
This memoir feels raw, real, and deeply relatable. The honesty about addiction, neurodiversity, and choosing sobriety without a traditional path makes it stand out. It doesn’t glamorize recovery or offer easy answers, but shares what long-term sobriety actually looks like, including the doubts and hard days. A powerful read for anyone who never quite fit the usual recovery narrative and is looking for understanding rather than slogans.
— Kri
A raw modern take on literacy psychology with deep and heavy emotions
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed in India on 7 January 2026 · Format: Kindle Edition
This book has best of all worlds, easy to read , which makes it anyone to enjoy it as a story. But if you are mature enough and try to reflect deeply on Mark psychology, who will find heavy themes of introspection, mental problems and how a person tackle it with grit and isolation. It can be enjoyed with a huge range of people and everyone who picks it will get a different taste based on it maturity level.
— Meena devi
Raw, Honest, and Inspiring
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 January 2026 · Format: Kindle Edition
Coventry to Coventry to Comber: An Irish Story of Addiction and Recovery is a deeply moving and authentic account of struggle, resilience, and hope. Told with honesty and heart, it offers insight into addiction while highlighting the power of recovery and transformation. A powerful and inspiring read for anyone touched by addiction or seeking hope and healing.
— Adefolajimi
tells the truth about drinking, stopping, and living with the noise
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 January 2026 · Format: Paperback
This doesn’t preach or polish anything. It just in your head. The long view on sobriety is refreshing and real. Quietly powerful, especially for anyone tired of tidy recovery stories that feel fake
— T Quattro
Honest, Brave and Deeply Inspiring
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed in Australia on 4 January 2026 · Format: Kindle
Coventry to Comber is an uncompromising, powerful, and unflinchingly honest account of addiction, perseverance and long-term recovery. Raw yet achingly compassionate in its prose, Mark Francis O’Sullivan’s writing gives a rare insight into the mind of someone determined to stay sober in their own way, without falling into the typical mould. Personal reflections on undiagnosed neurodivergence and self-medication will also bring comfort and understanding to those who feel “different”. It is this honesty which is the book’s biggest strength. It never preaches; it simply reaches out and connects with the reader. An achingly moving, relatable, and hopeful book for anyone affected by addiction, or looking for genuine recovery inspiration.
— LibraryFox
A Brutally Honest and Relatable Lifeline
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed in Australia on 12 January 2026 · Format: Paperback
As someone who felt like an outsider in traditional recovery, this book was a revelation. O’Sullivan’s raw account of self-medicating undiagnosed autism and ADHD with alcohol resonated deeply. His journey, free of slogans and full of hard-won wisdom, offered me profound understanding and genuine hope. It’s a compassionate, essential read.
— Michelle McCarthy
