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It is about him

May 19 2013
Ian Young‘s book It’s Not About Me! has been written to help others break free from debilitating addictions

For 13 years, Ian Young lived as a traveller, a raver and a DJ at illegal events, turning to drug trafficking, smuggling and dealing for cash. Now aged 49 and with 12 years of sobriety under his belt, his new book It’s Not About Me! has been written to help others break free from debilitating addictions.

For more than a decade, Mr Young lurched from sofa to squat, believing that he should not have to pay his way in society. “I refused to sleep outside where it’s cold, when I could break into an empty building and at least have some walls around me”, he said. “In fact, whatever the weather conditions were like, it made more sense to me to break into an empty building whenever I needed somewhere to sleep.

Mr Young managed to break his addiction using a combination of abstinence-based recovery and spiritual therapy. His book details his own journey and provides advice and tips for both addicts wanting to make a change in their lives and also the family and friends of those affected by addiction.

Separated into two parts, It’s Not About Me! follows his early life as an underground DJ and drug dealer, where he first encountered stand-up comedian and drug addiction campaigner, Russell Brand. The second part stands as a recovery guide for those coming out of addiction or who need help to take their first steps.

“It’s been 12 years and I just don’t resemble that person any more. When I got sober, I recognised that one of things I needed to do was leave that community and that counter-culture. That was one of the biggest challenges”,

Mr Young told The Pavement. “People always ask me why I work in addictions. They can’t believe it when I tell them where I came from. They can’t believe I’m the person stood in front of them today.”

It’s Not About Me is published by Anoma Press and is priced at £14.99. It is available to purchase from Amazon.co.uk.

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