Less vamp would've died

For years he avoided contact with other vampires, moving from one
town and city to another, mixing mostly with men of lax principles and
ladies of easy virtue, since they were the ones who came out at night. He
stole vast amounts of money and spent it lavishly. He gambled heavily,
backed many foolish, high-risk ventures for sport, and at one stage ran his
own stable of boxers and fighting cockerels.

Larten tried things he’d avoided even as a Cub, things no sane person
should try. He treated his body with disrespect, interested only in how far he
could push it. There were many nights when he couldn’t rise, only lie in a
dark room, shaking like a rabid rat, waiting for death to put him out of his
misery.

If he had been a lesser vampire, he would have surely died. But his years
of harsh lessons had toughened him. He could take more punishment than
most, go further, last longer. No matter how many mad nights he subjected
himself to, he always struggled back.

***

The Saga of Larten Crepsley: Ocean of Blood, Chapter 15