Written from the life and experience of Paul Thorn, the eagerly anticipated Second Edition of his widely-acclaimed book, HIV HAPPY, is a holistic and life-changing guide for people living with the virus. Hailed as “a step change in the way we speak about HIV”, HIV HAPPY aims to challenge some of the self-stigmatizing thinking commonly held by people living with HIV. It offers tips and help points for creating a better sense of self, wellbeing and getting started on a brighter life path.

Contact:

Paul Thorn

Email: info@hivhappy.co.uk

Telephone: +44 (0)7496 665844

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

United Kingdom – Since the age of seventeen, Paul Thorn has lived with HIV. It’s vital to remember that, during the HIV pandemic of the late 1980s and 1990s, Thorn was forced to face extreme stigma that all but destroyed his self-esteem and adversity so fierce that it almost ended his life.

But Thorn refused to become a victim, instead rebuilding his sense of self, working for over two decades internationally to help improve the lives of people living with the virus. Now, healthier and happier than ever he is reaching into the lives of people living with HIV, to help prepare them for a brighter future now there’s effective treatment to manage the course of the virus.

Synopsis of ‘HIV HAPPY’ (Second Edition):

Long-term HIV survivor and award nominated journalist Paul Thorn brings his considerable personal experience of loss, self-hating, self-examination and self-helping to this Second Edition of HIV HAPPY. He explains how a harmonious and happy co-existence with HIV is possible. His simple philosophy on living with the virus and how to make the most of the second chance that treatment affords you could just change your life. Through a guided process of self-examination, HIV HAPPY can show you how you can begin to shift your thinking and empower yourself to take control of today, tomorrow and the future. With a combination of practical advice and warmly helpful personal insights, HIV HAPPY sets out a step-by-step guide to building a long-term, self-help program like no other in this field.

“I want people to understand that it’s possible to co-exist with HIV and to live a happy and full life with the virus” explains the author. “People living with the virus often experience negative thinking which holds them back. It doesn’t have to be this way. By looking at their situation and life with a new perspective, anyone with HIV can learn to perceive themselves and life in general in a more positive, productive and emotionally healthier way.”

Continuing, “This book takes them through their situation in a way they will never have seen or appreciated before. My goal is to help readers deal with internalized stigma and find new prosperity, balance and satisfaction of life. I’ve been through the worst of what life can throw at someone, and am now happier than I could have ever expected.”

What the press are saying:

"While inspirational books saturate the self-help market, none delves into the issues of living a positive, fruitful life quite like U.K. author Paul Thorn's newest release, HIV HAPPY." HIV Plus Magazine, Los Angeles

"Dealing with issues of low self-esteem or destructive patterns? Paul Thorn's easy, breezy HIV Happy is just the self-help pick-me-up you need… this small book could make a big difference in your life." Poz Magazine, New York

"I've read the book and I like it a lot. It strikes me that HIV HAPPY is quite different to anything else out there." Bob Leahy, Editor, PositiveLite, Toronto

Publisher’s official website: http://www.hivhappy.co.uk

ISBN-10: 1536862347

ISBN-13: 978-1536862348

About the Author:

Paul Thorn has been HIV-positive all of his adult life. He’s had the virus since he was 17-years-old and experienced the darkest days of the pandemic in the late 1980s and 1990s, indeed he nearly lost his own life. His diagnosis inspired him to become an AIDS activist and also to write. A long-term survivor and now aged 47, he’s worked internationally with some of the world’s most highly respected organisations and NGOs.

In 2009 he was widely credited with overturning the ban that prevented people living with HIV from entering the United States and a change in the law. The author of six books, he has been a regular contributor to a variety of news, health and lifestyle publications for over two decades. In 2014 he was nominated as Stonewall Journalist of the Year. He lives in East Sussex, England.