WRITING about his childhood experiences and the trauma of growing up in a home dominated by alcoholism and violence has put a 52-year-old man from New Barnet at the top of a bestseller list.
John Taylor, who now runs a family unit for the Turning Point Drug and Alcohol Service, hopes to help others who are suffering in the same way he is.
His book Alcohol stole my motherwritten with veteran author Paulo Hewitt, marks a milestone in John’s recovery.
He says: “I grew up with an alcoholic mother and an abusive father and dealt with the trauma of my childhood falling into my own addiction to alcohol and drugs. In 2003 I found myself at North London Priory in Southgate because of my addictions with the dilemma “did I want to stop drinking and using drugs and see my young daughters grow up or did I want to be like my mother?”
John felt he couldn’t write the book until his parents died, but even his close friends and family were shocked to hear some of what he had been through.
He remembers: “My house was a war zone. I was full of fear. I was full of terror. I didn’t know which way to turn or which way to look. The only time I felt safe was when I was playing or watching sports. Arsenal and Celtic were my teams (still are) and their respective grounds Highbury and Paradise were my sanctuaries.
He adds: “I grew up with my little sister who was four years younger than me. After my mum and dad separated, we lived with my mum in Scotland, and because of her alcoholism, I became the head of the family looking after my mum and little sister. I was eight years old.
“My mom and dad died years ago and I wouldn’t have written my book if they were still alive. They were both flawed people who grew up in alcoholic homes and gave me simply passed on their problems. By quitting drinking, I was able to stop the cycle of addiction that was being passed on to my children.
Her daughters are 22 and 21. John split from their mother 10 years ago “on very good terms” and co-parented the girls. He says: “We still remain good friends today and my ex-wife told me she was very proud of what I accomplished with my book.”
John says: “My family and friends supported the book and are shocked by what I went through as a little boy because I never told anyone about it.”
He praises his co-author, Paulo, a well-known music journalist and biographer of the group Oasis: “I read a book by my friend Paolo Hewitt called The cared for child where he told his story about his often abusive childhood growing up in an institution. I then told Paolo that he had inspired me to write a book about my childhood. The only problem we have is that he supports Tottenham and I support Arsenal.”
John says, “My book speaks to the millions of children around the world who are growing up or have grown up in alcoholic homes with alcoholic parents to help them realize that they are not alone. I hope to raise awareness for men’s mental health as well because I speak openly about my own mental breakdown and recovery and that’s the main reason I trained as a counselor.
John’s book Alcohol Stole My Mum is available at www.alcoholstolemymum.co.uk
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Source: www.times-series.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-05-25 11:22:31
