It takes the form of a collection of short stories, written in either Scots, Scottish English or British English, revolving around various residents of Leith, Edinburgh, who either use heroin, are friends of the core group of heroin users, or engage in destructive activities that are effectively addictions.

The novel has since achieved a cult status and served as the basis for the film Trainspotting (1996), directed by Danny Boyle.

Some chapters are written from a third-person omniscient stance to convey the actions and thoughts of several characters in a scene.

Sick Boy) decide to go buy heroin from Johnny Swan (also called "Mother Superior") since they are both feeling symptoms of withdrawal.

Unable to find any heroin, he acquires opium suppositories which, after a bout of diarrhoea, he must recover from a bookie's lavatory.

They are shocked to find the woman supports her abusive boyfriend instead of her would-be liberators by digging her nails into Tommy's face, inciting a brawl.

While the couple slips out unnoticed, Tommy and Second Prize find themselves taking the blame for the whole affair from the pub locals.

They later find out that Granty is dead and his girlfriend disappeared with the money, prompting them to beat Jackie, whom they knew to have been sleeping with her.

Renton relapses and has to suffer heroin withdrawal at his parents' house, where he experiences hallucinations of Dawn, the television programme he is watching, and the lecture provided by his father.

Renton attends the funeral; there, he almost starts a fight with some of his father's Unionist relatives, and ends up having sex with Billy's pregnant girlfriend in the toilet.

He tries to fall asleep in an all-night porno theatre, where he meets Gi, an old homosexual who lets him stay at his flat.

Gav tells Renton the story of how Matty died of toxoplasmosis after attempting to rekindle his relationship with his ex using a kitten.

Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud and Second Prize go to London to engage in a heroin deal and see a Pogues gig.

It was produced and shown in the upstairs room (a tiny 50-seat theatre) at the Edinburgh Castle Pub, the small but legendary literary and arts bar.

[5] The play was produced and directed by Alan Black, the head of the Scottish Cultural and Arts Foundation, which was an organization that held Scottish-connected events in San Francisco in the 90s.

Directed by Adam Spreadbury-Maher and Greg Esplin, this production has gone on to sell out at three Edinburgh Festival Fringes and played to critical acclaim in London, on several UK tours and in New York City.

Welsh claimed that the book had sold over one million copies in the UK by 2015, and been translated into thirty languages.