Duran Duran's Co-Founder John Taylor Receives Writers In Treatment's Highest Honor at 'Experience, Strength and Hope' Charity Event Today

Writers In Treatment and New Directions for Women have joined forces to honor Duran Duran's founding member John Taylor with the Experience, Strength and Hope Award today, February 15, 2013 at the Skirball Cultural Center. Robert Downey Jr. will present Writers In Treatment's highest honor to Mr. Taylor during an unforgettable evening that will be hosted by Ed Begley Jr., feature a special appearance by actor/comedian/director Bobcat Goldthwait, Ione Skye, and many more surprises.

The Experience, Strength and Hope Award is given to well-known individuals who have written courageous and honest memoirs about their journey from addiction to recovery. Past honorees include astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Academy Award winning actor Louis Gossett, Jr.

Taylor's memoir, "In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death & Duran Duran," tells of his upbringing in Birmingham, England, his years with Duran Duran, and his road to recovery. Taylor said, "I won't say I went right away [to rehab], I had to hit bottom, which meant going out and getting so f**ked up, so disillusioned by my own inability to control myself, and then surrender. Now it's been a whole different me, and I wanted to write about that. A lot of people are struggling and a lot of people still don't believe that sobriety is possible for them."