A Drop of the Hard Stuff: A Sea Captain's Recovery from Alcoholism [Paperback]

Peter Wright (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 372 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corporation (October 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1413416632
• ISBN-13: 978-1413416633
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,765,201 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Peter Wright was born in Wallasey, England in 1926, eight years after the end of World War 1, a conflict which left a profound impression on him, not only because his Uncle Tom had been killed during the last offensive, but because of the appalling slaughter that he, even at an early age, considered senseless. His father, a marine engineer, died at sea following a collision with another ship.

After six years at a Dominican boarding school for boys, Blackfriars, where his mother hoped he would enter the Catholic priesthood, he went to sea as a deck apprentice with Elder Dempster Lines of Liverpool. Three years after gaining his Masters certificate, he immigrated to the United States where he worked as Port Captain, Stevedore Superintendent and Marine Surveyor.

His social drinking at sea eventually turned into addictive drinking after his arrival in the U.S. It went ignored for several years, but loss of jobs and family made it clear that he was on the road to self-destruction. Frequent visits to hospital and Recovery Clinics and a deep-seated belief in his own spirituality convinced him that Alcoholics Anonymous was his only salvation. And that is where he got sober.

He retired in 1991 and lives in Northern California. His new novel is expected to be published in late summer, 2008.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars "Reminiscent of some of the great English novels.", November 28, 2007

By 

Editor, Author, Publicist (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Drop of the Hard Stuff: A Sea Captain's Recovery from Alcoholism (Paperback)

Reminiscent of some of the great English novels, this autobiography takes the reader on a journey that makes life look bland. Peter life begins in England after World War I. His father is a sea captain who dies at a young age, leaving Peter's strong and capable mother to raise her two children. Determined to assure her children's educations, she sends Peter to a Catholic boarding school where he is to become a priest. While the education was evidently excellent, the priesthood was not to be. Instead, Peter assumed his father's role and went to sea. He chronicles the many ships, ports and escapades of his seafaring life while he drifts slowly toward alcoholism. He tells about the regimen and levels one must reach through education and complex testing that eventually result in becoming a Master and then a Captain of his own ship. Peter sailed the Atlantic, delivered goods to many ports of call, moved to the USA in pursuit of a love affair and worked the Great Lakes. He finally landed in San Francisco where he truly left his heart. Alcoholism robbed Peter of happiness in his personal life, but Alcoholics Anonymous finally found him in the street and restored his sobriety and quality of life. Few people have sated wanderlust as Wright has, traveling the world, in and out of scrapes, footloose and fancy free (well, almost). This book is a compelling read, very different from most modern biographies and something truly remarkable. His style is so pure and refreshingly concise that it makes us remember what the English language ought to be.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Thumping Good Read, January 13, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: A Drop of the Hard Stuff: A Sea Captain's Recovery from Alcoholism (Paperback)

This autobiographical work takes us into the three worlds of Captain Peter Wright. He spent the "first ten years of my life saturated in family myth and false pride, heavy drinkers, and the jaundice of Catholic bigotry."
After six years of classic education at England's Blackfriars' Dominican boarding school for boys, with its mix of fun and misery, he spent "twenty-two years of adventure while sailing as mate and master."
Gradually drifting into alcohol addiction, he withdrew into his own private hell, ending his drinking days on the streets of San Francisco. Now sober for twenty years, Peter Wright says, "Writing this book evened out the playing field."
Wright's writing voice tastes of British farce with gentle glances along the shoulder and tight little smiles as he presents the boy and man that he was and became. The writing is elegantly clear and simple, making for a Thumping Good Read.