Best-selling author Marian Keyes has said that her time in rehab when she was 30 years old was "one of the happiest times of my life".
The writer is about to publish her fifteenth novel, Again, Rachel, a sequel to her breakthrough novel Rachel's Holiday in 1997.
The new book sees Rachel back in the clinic where she was treated for cocaine addiction in the first novel, and where she is now head counsellor.
Speaking to The Guardian about her own battles with addiction, Keyes (58), who has been sober for 28 years, said of Rachel, "She’s an addict, I’m an addict.
"Having gone through rehab myself, it was one of the happiest times of my life in a bizarre way. The bonds that you form with the people in your group, the other walking wounded … we were all trying to help each other. It was actually very beautiful. I wanted to bring that same camaraderie and humanity to the new book."
She added, "Once I did go through rehab and admit the game was up, things were possible for me: healthy relationships, a career, honest, authentic friendships."
Keyes, who lives in Dún Laoghaire in Dublin with her husband, Tony, also spoke about her sadness that she never had children.
"As somebody who wanted children and who didn’t get them, you are stalked by the ghosts of the children you didn’t have. I don’t mean it to sound spooky; it’s the opposite of spooky, you think of all that joy and fun and pride and love."
She also told The Guardian that she decided against IVF, "because I was afraid that I wanted too much. I was about six or seven years into recovery, I suddenly had a career, I really loved Tony. That old Catholic thing. I felt I was being told 'Stop! You’ve been given plenty, don’t ask for more.’"
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please see RTÉ’s list of helplines.
