PJ started drinking as a teenager in his native Ireland, and to this day, he can remember the effect of that first drink he had at a pub in Dublin when he was 19 years of age. It seemed everything that was once impossible, was now possible. Alcohol helped draw him out of his terrible shyness, and he suddenly found himself easily joining the conversation and feeling that he was part of the crowd. He absolutely loved this, and for the first five years of his drinking, he didn't experience many problems, but over time, alcohol gradually took over more and more of his life.