Chelsea Handler, forever the drinker, coming to Fox Theatre March 15

Would she ever stop the margaritas and vodka? Handler didn't hesitate: "I'll always be drinking. That will never stop."

She does have boundaries with her drinking. "I don't drink every day during the week. I'm working Monday through Wednesday," she said. "I take it down a notch. I go home and behave. I read the paper. I watch TV. I get my massage. Thursday is when the wheels come off. That's when I go and start doing fun stuff and get a lot of good material. It's always a story."

Indeed, her crazy stories have turned her into a huge, best-selling author. Counting a compilation of stories about her from her friends and family, this will be Handler's fifth book. She has sold millions. Her writing is very much like her act: sarcastic, self-deprecating, over the top. It's the type of anecdotal work that really clicks after a couple shots of tequila.

Unlike, say, Howard Stern or David Letterman, Handler is a social creature. "I hate being alone," she said. "I'm a codependent. I go away with people all the time. I just came back from Belize last night." She met up with a dude down there and bought tickets for some friends to join her at the last second. ("I have one in each country," she deadpanned.)

She also doesn't try to pretend to be humble. She knows she's rich enough that she can fly to Belize on a moment's notice. But she knows her foibles and her quirks keep her fans laughing and watching her nightly snarkfest on E!.

The latest book came about after she broke up with a boyfriend and decided to go on safari with some friends at the last second. "People plan these things a year in advance but I didn't care," she said. "When I break up with a boyfriend, everyone has to do what I say."

She and five buddies had such a great time in South Africa, she said, she thought it was book-worthy. "It's amazing to see those animals up close and personal. We'd have Bloody Mary's in the morning and drive around and look at huge lions and leopards and elephants. It's insane! I'd want to get out of the car and pet a lion which they don't let you do."

In recent months, she has traveled to Barcelona, the Pyrenees and the Bahamas. "So many of my girlfriends just sit and home in Beverly Hills," she said. "I don't want to do that. I want to get out!"

But NBC (she is part of the NBCUniversal family) did not send her to Sochi for the Winter Olympics. She didn't object: "I'd be Putin's worst nightmare: a woman who likes to talk back. They don't need me there. I'd cause more trouble!"

This is her first tour in nearly four years: "I've taken such a long break from the road. I want to have fun and not be too exhausted. I know people are paying serious amounts of money to see me and I want to be in it. I have such loyal fans. I definitely want to be at my best."

Her live show, she said, will be a mix of stories from her book and whatever is going on in her life in general. For instance, she'll talk about how being famous doesn't necessarily make it easier on her sex life, that guys are intimidated by her and (rightfully) nervous she'll write about them. "I have to leave the country to get some," she said. "I've had to dial down my personality in order for guys to be interested."

Handler's contract with E! ends at the end of the year. She said she's not sure if she will stick with the talk show "or do something more mature."

She could imagine herself retiring at some point after really hitting it big, disappearing and just traveling all the time.

Like Dave Chappelle?

"No, not like that. If I get a $50 million contract, I'd go through with it, then leave. He had a real problem being famous. I just want a luxurious life. I don't have a problem being famous!"

Comedy show

Chelsea Handler live

8 p.m., Saturday, March 15

$64.60-$85.75 (after fees)

Fabulous Fox Theatre

660 Peachtree St., NE, Atlanta

Book signing

Saturday, March 15, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Book must be purchased online in advance

A Cappella Books

208 Haralson Ave NE, Atlanta