A first-time author has told of his goal to help others by writing his brutally revealing life story.
Chris Taylor, renowned throughout Ayrshire as a theater impresario, admits he turned to print to bare his soul.
The end result – a supremely honest look at his lifelong addictions – is now being hailed as an inspiration to others.
‘Me Myself And Weed’ charts Ayr’s man Chris’ journey from schoolboy to respected star of stage and film.
But along the way, he examines the emotional reality of his sexual suffering as a teenager in the military and his battles with addiction.
Chris, 38, said Live Ayrshire: “I’m a huge fan of author Des Dillon and read one of his books eight years ago called ‘My Epileptic Lurcher’.
“It tells how he can’t do anything in life because of the dog’s seizures.
“The book stuck with me because of its writing style…it’s like it’s sitting on your couch talking to you.t
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“So the idea grew from there and I wanted to put my own life story on paper.
“I wanted to go back to the beginning and ask…is it what happened in the military that made me smoke weed and want to desensitize myself every night?
“It was the same with alcohol which just became a crutch.
“I have scars all over my body from the times I self-harmed after the army and I felt like I always had to lie to people to explain why.
“So to unveil everything in an autobiography was almost a cathartic experience.”
Chris, who became a successful playwright with a long list of acting credits, insists his memoir took him on a powerful journey of self-discovery.
He added: “Writing a book made me realize that I’m not normal, but that’s totally normal.
“If it helps just one person to read this book, it will have done its job.
“I used to hear that sentence and think, ‘what nonsense’.
“But I was contacted by a complete stranger the other day who had bought the book – she had been through an addiction and found my self-talk so helpful.
“So if even one person can relate to my life experience, I will feel it is worth it.
“I’m now in a happier place in my life and getting the book out has been a big part of that.
“I get beautiful messages from people I went to school with who say they thought they knew me but had no idea who I was until they read this. This was an amazing experience.”
Me Myself And Weed is available on Amazon now.
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