Drug addict becomes successful author

Editorial success for Chris Sullivan following 20 years of unemployment

Chris Sullivan, 40, was brought up in a house of substance dependents, with alcoholic parents and drug users in the family and was in care from the age of nine. Having no adult role model, he became a victim of circumstances and by the age of 16 was addicted to a variety of drugs. His addiction resulted in years of homelessness where he was a victim of crime and suffered terrible personal tragedies. The loss of his mother and brother to drug related illnesses gave him the determination to fight his own addiction, and 15 years on he’s an established author with the launch of "The Joy of Quitting Cannabis", a self-help book on how to combat addiction.

Chris approached InBiz, a national organisation specialising in promoting self employment and entrepreneurship as a means into sustainable employment, for support on how to set up his business "E&C Publishing". At InBiz, Ellesmere Port, Chris was assigned to a personal business adviser, Matt Dooley, who listened to his business idea and supported him with practical planning, organising invaluable advice on book keeping, finance, marketing as well as tax assistance.

His business offers support to people who suffer from addiction and includes one to one FREE sessions with Chris. He runs regular workshops on the subject of addiction as well as working alongside charities and organisations which are committed to addressing the issue of addiction. The royalties he receives from publishing rights in the UK and abroad mean that he’s no longer dependent on benefits, which has given him a great sense of pride and achievement.

Commenting on the help he received at InBiz, Chris Sullivan said: " When you’re addicted to a substance, irrespective of what it is, whether drugs or alcohol, you are not always open to getting advice from people who have no way of knowing what you are going through. I truly believe that the reason of my success is largely attributed to being able to personally relate to the ‘issues’ associated with addiction. InBiz provided me with the confidence and the belief that I could break away from a life on benefits and be my own boss, I’m incredibly grateful for its support."

Matt Dooley, InBiz’s Business Adviser added: "I find it inspiring that after 15 years of research into the issues of drug addiction and his own experience of quitting drugs, he’s now helping other to help themselves through his book and workshops. The success of his first book is well deserved and I wish him all the best for the launch of his sequel book “How to quit Cocaine".

For more information on "The Joy of Quitting Cannabis" log on to: www.quitcannabis.net

  • Work With Us

    If you would like to know more about how InBiz can provide self employment start up support and add value to your propositions for the Work Programme, please contact our Business Development team - businessdevelopment@avanta.uk.com


  • The complete on-line business partner

    Business Club 365 is dedicated to helping smaller businesses survive and grow.

    Find out more