Substance abuse and mental health PT 1.

Added 1570574886 by Irongem / Gemma.

Poor mental health.... I think we all have a point in life where we 'suffer' from it at one point or another. From generalised anxiety to social anxiety, depression to PTSD and many more things we hardly ever admit to the world.

I know personally it is something I struggle with on a daily basis. Some days (like today) I dont even get out of my pjs. Small tasks seem extremely difficult even though they would logically be able to be done in under a minute. I ponder on every, single, word to come out of my mouth and wonder how if affects those around me. Then I never like to speak about my issues because, well, nobody wants to hear that, right?

These images were created by Matt Cain and myself to represent the feelings we both, and all, struggle with on a regular or occasional basis. Life can become intertwined to us where the days merge into one big confusing blur. These feelings can in turn cause people to turn to substance abuse and addictive behaviour - from alcohol to drugs to food and even the gym! We all deal with our troubles differently and should never be ashamed to speak up.

I've personally used my own medication to numb the world out numerous times - then - last Decemeber used it to try and end my own life. I have also lost a family member due to drug abuse and I can only wish that she would have reached out for help instead of using this way to cope. If maybe, someone had cared enough to listen to her properly, offer her help and understanding over judgement this type of thing could have been prevented.

Getting things out in the open can help with our heads so much. Yes, we can be logic and try convince ourselves it will all be okay, but, sometimes we 'need' something to turn to. Instead of this, if we all just had someone to talk to. Life could become much, much clearer again. 🤗

It does not make us weak to speak about these things. In fact, it makes you one strong badass human to have the courage to admit you're struggling and reach out for help. The harsh truth is ; if we dont reach out our hands, nobody is able to grab it. Wether a family member, friend or trained professional.