Former candidate Chris Taylor talks about his addiction

WATCH – Soldiering on –

Oct. 30, 2020 – Taylor’s campaign ended with him landing in the hospital, fighting for survival. At the time, Taylor had declined ABC15’s requests for an interview, saying he wanted to focus on his recovery.

Now, saying he is eight months sober, Taylor is finally willing to share the story of his struggle with addiction.

“The last thing I remember is that I was going to die and that I was going to abandon my 5-year-old daughter and my 1-year-old son,” said Taylor.

Taylor’s first campaign for office was based on his success with battling addiction. This time though, the war veteran who has come close to death several times while serving in Afghanistan said, his PTSD combined with the stress of running for election, and serving as a firefighter got too much for him. “My addiction blindsided me, and I relapsed after almost seven years of sobriety,” said Taylor.

He said he turned to Heroin as he had many times in the past, and took the same amount, but he immediately knew something was different.

“It hit me like a lightning bolt. I tried to control my breathing. I knew that I might be about to pass out, I tried to calm down. My right hand started to involuntarily seize, then my leg started to shake violently. I knew I was about to go unconscious so I tried to scream for help for my wife to hear me. I was locked in the bathroom and before I could get words out, I fell backward and went completely black,” said Taylor.