Who Turned the Light On

13/10/2026

Billy McKay traces twenty seven years of he**in addiction back to a...

13/10/2026

06/10/2026

Good wee read in this magazine

"Imagine a wee boy growing up believing he needs to be tough to survive. If that belief is repeatedly reinforced, being tough might become more than a way of coping. He might eventually believe that toughness is his entire identity."

In our latest guest blog post, Billy McKay writes about growing up in Glasgow and how the things he learned as a child about staying safe shaped the person he became. Billy lives with C-PTSD, and his life took him into gangs, addiction and several years in prison. He’s clear that he takes responsibility for the choices he made and the consequences they had for himself and other people, but he also explains how understanding the impact of childhood trauma helped him make sense of his past and start to see himself differently.

Billy has now been in recovery from addiction for more than 21 years. Today he goes back into prisons and recovery communities to share his story with people who may be where he once was.

As Billy says himself, his story is his own, and trauma doesn’t automatically lead to crime or addiction. But it’s a moving reminder of how deeply our early experiences can shape what we believe about ourselves, and that with the right understanding and support, those beliefs can be questioned.

Read Billy's full story here: PTSDuk.org/invisible-prison/

06/10/2026

Was great to unfold my book to these guys

06/10/2026

I’m pleased to share my BACP blog, “The ‘invisible prison’: How perception shapes who we become.”

It explores how childhood experiences and learned beliefs can shape addiction and recovery.

Read the full article here:
https://www.bacp.co.uk/news/news-from-bacp/blogs/2026/blogs-and-vlogs/02-october-the-invisible-prison/

19/09/2026

Plz join my platform for free recovery tools

Author, speaker and recovery advocate. From addiction and trauma to identity, faith and restoration.

16/09/2026

FREE RECOVERY RESOURCES — NO COST. NO CATCH.

Practical tools created from real lived experience to help you understand what’s underneath addiction, break old patterns and move forward in recovery.

Visit BILLYMCKAY.NET and sign up through the FREE RESOURCES box for instant access.

🙏 CAN YOU PASS THIS ON TO 5 PEOPLE?
YOU NEVER KNOW WHO IT MIGHT HELP.

Real tools. Real experience. Real change.

A powerful true story of addiction, crime, prison and redemption. Finding the light of hope through faith.

16/09/2026

We can only help people if you join in and want to help people. I can’t we can comes into mind.

16/09/2026

I was honoured to be invited as the opening guest speaker at the Bella Centre’s 5th Annual Recovery Walk, bringing together residents, staff, guests and recovery partners.

To stand there and share my journey — from adversity, addiction and chaos to recovery, faith and purpose — was incredibly meaningful.

Twenty-one years into my own recovery, I’m grateful that the darkest parts of my story can now be used to carry a message of hope and possibility to others.

A huge thank you to the Bella Centre and Scottish Prison Service for the welcome, and to everyone working every day to make recovery possible. 🙏

Real stories can change lives. The light can come back on. 💡