Aidan Martin BA, MSc & Writer

Aidan is a recovering addict, who grew up thinking he was stupid until he was twenty-five and stepped foot in West Lothian College. Education along with recovery fellowships and access to therapy via his college and university meant Aidan went from being an uneducated urbanite trapped inside his own mind, to gaining a BA Hons in Social Sciences with Criminology and Sociology at Glasgow Caledonian University. He returned to GCU to gain an MSc Degree in Social Work, with his motivation to become better qualified to support others in addiction and so-called criminal lifestyles. Simultaneously he became a published author through his bestselling memoir Euphoric Recall which led to him becoming a public speaker, campaigner and activist tackling the drugs-related-deaths crisis in Scotland, as well as consulting with The Scottish Government over ways to tackle the crisis. He is often sought out for media work in relation to addiction and mental health. He has recently completed his second book, a fiction about early noughties ‘lad culture’, in which his agent represents him now to find the right publisher. He is also in the early stages of launching a charity in his area to use creative methods as an holistic support for those suffering the same things he suffered from growing up. Those being trauma, addiction, mental health issues and class inequalities. Aidan has a passion for writing, creating, and speaking. He has realised that creativity is a form of education, healing, and direction. At the age of twenty-five he lived on a mattress as a slave to cocaine. However, having a fair chance at education and therapy gave him the confidence to write his book. And at thirty-six his life is in a completely different trajectory. He feels this is evidence enough for his belief systems. Aidan is interested in the impact of intergenerational trauma, social structures/systems, and the social environment a person grows up in, pertaining to life chances and/or outcomes. This comes from his lived experience, education, and over a decade of working in the third sector. Above all else, he is a proud father of three beautiful children and partner to his incredible fiancée. He intends to use writing, creating, and speaking to make a positive difference in society, for the rest of his days.