And again, this book is more than just an addiction story so I imagine there will be many people reading for reasons other than addiction. It cannot be denied that at the outset of the campaign in 1968 Sinn Fein/PIRA in Monaghan soon assembled what can be described as a fighting force. Inveralmond High school was like going to a young offenders institution, it was never about education it was always about survival. Today, Aidan, from West Calder, works in advocacy, representing people caught in the lifestyle he has now left behind. I suppose that’s a question you could ask after reading Aidan Martin’s highly readable account of grief, trauma, grooming and compulsive behaviour and how you get to a place beyond these.

West Lothian author shares life experiences

The father of two continues, "That was a huge trauma because he remained in my life for some time longer. I simply could not get involved in any confrontations as I had important work to do, I spoke to a Garda Detective in Monaghan about the drugs coming into Stewartstown. In 1992, when I moved to Armagh City, I had noted Briege O Caolain being followed by a loyalist who had been involved in the murder of Adrian Carroll in 1983.

I had goosebumps reading the introduction and from there on in I was immersed into Aidans story from being groomed, addcition, family struggles to being a father and getting his degree he ends the book with a sense of promise. As a schoolboy already caught up in addiction, I stood outside of a McDonalds waiting for a man I thought was my friend. Although the content was harrowing and very personal, I have a huge amount of admiration for the author. The book has the feeling of listening to a skilled storyteller speaking about his past, with vivid descriptions and well paced chapters. I didn't know how to deal with my pain and I wanted to die but I didn't want to die as well, if that makes sense.

Book serialisation: Euphoric Recall, by Aidan Martin: Part Book serialisation: Euphoric Recall, by Aidan Martin: Part

He got me to talk about college and my son and he told me that I didn't start college for no reason and that my son was going to need me in his life. This is a memoir about addiction and the ways to beat it: although there are struggles, it can happen. Drug and alcohol addiction affects so many people, including students, and our college wants to play a part in tackling this and supporting those affected by it. Lara Lillibridge (she/they) is the author of Mama, Mama, Only Mama: An Irreverent Guide for the Newly Single Parent; Girlish: Growing Up in a Lesbian Home, and co-editor of the anthology, Feminine Rising.It's very intense with hard to read content but it's memoirs like this that need to be read, we need to read about real people and real struggles to understand ourselves.

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AM: Airy-fairy means even though I believe in a Higher Power I’m not suffering from delusions of grandeur or anything. Skinny, blonde hair, blue eyes, freckles and tall with slightly protruding teeth that I hadn’t quite grown into. The last lapse was two and a half years ago and led to him finally getting the closure he required on the abuse he suffered as a 15 year old. Between 1994-97 two sisters in Monaghan were bringing UDR members into Monaghan Town after they would be out drinking in places such as Keady and Caledon. For example, in 1986, Jim Lynagh wanted me to move with my young family to Aughnacloy permanently as a Provisional IRA Intelligence Officer.The Bound Together project uses books to help raise awareness of the impact of drugs and alcohol on families, and it was amazing to hear from Shirley and Aidan about their journey together. Groomed as a teenager, he turned to drink and drugs as his coping mechanisms during a 20 year ordeal that only ended last year. We need more books like this—authentic and brutally honest about growing up in the lowlands of working class Scotland. When Caoimhghín became Editor of An Phoblacht, I was managing the Sinn Fein/PIRA Centre at 21 Dublin Street, Monaghan. I followed the two sisters and the UDR men to Monaghan Town on one occasion after a tip-off, again, I could not get involved, and so I reported these incursions to a Garda Detective.

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The book and it's contents are a very rare mix of honesty, brutality, many forms of abuse, mental health crisis, suicide, addiction but also of insight, hope, positivity and the various stages of recovery. It is written as a journal, this happened, then this, then I did this, I went to a place, he was there and he did this. This move towards politics, with, "The Ballot Box in one hand and the Armalite in the other", was not an easy move.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive. My role is to act on their behalf, to be their voice when liaising with the local authority, government, elected members or other related services. As soon as I saw Guts Publishing, I just knew in my gut (excuse the pun) that they were the one for me. From feeling unwanted to grief to mental health issues, this book ignited an electrical chain of connections that took me back to the inner most depths of my childhood and adolescent years. Eighneachán was a talented artist and we had a few chats when I would collect An Phoblacht on a Saturday evening before selling them around the pubs.