A first-time author has told of his aim to help others through penning his brutally revealing life story.
Chris Taylor, renowned throughout Ayrshire as a theatre impresario, admits he turned to print to bare his soul.
The end result – a searingly honest look at his addictions throughout life – is now being hailed as an inspiration to others.
'Me Myself And Weed' charts Ayr man Chris's journey from schoolboy to respected star of stage and screen.
But along the way, it examines the emotional reality of him suffering sexual assault while in the army as a teen and his ensuing battles with addiction.
Chris, 38, told Ayrshire Live: "I'm a huge fan of the author Des Dillon and read one of his books eight years ago called 'My Epileptic Lurcher'.
"It's tells the story of how he can't do anything in life because of the dog's seizures.
"The book stuck with me because of his style of writing...t's just like he was sat on your couch talking to you.t
"So the idea started from there and I wanted to get my own life story down on paper.
"I wanted to go back to the start and ask...is it what happened in the army that made me smoke weed and want to desensitise myself to things every night?
"It was the same with alcohol just becoming a crutch.
"I have scars all over my body from times I was self-harming after the army and felt I was always having to tell lies to people about why that was.
"So getting everything out there in an autobiography has almost been a cathartic experience."
Chris, who has gone on to become a successful playwright with a long list of acting credits, insists his memoirs have taken him on a powerful journey of self discovery.
He added: "Writing a book has made me realise I'm not normal, but that's completely okay.
"If it helps just one person reading this book then it will have done its job.
"I used to hear that phrase and think, 'what a lot of nonsense'.
"But I was contacted by a total stranger the other day who'd bought the book – she'd been through addiction and found my inner monologue so helpful.
"So if even one person can relate to my life experience, I will feel it's all worth it.
"I'm now in a happier place in my life and getting the book out there has been a huge part of that.
"I'm getting beautiful messages from people I went to school with who are saying they thought they knew me but had no real idea who I was until they read this. It's been an amazing experience."
Me Myself And Weed is available from Amazon now.
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