Hi,
I'm a 54 year old male and I've suffered depression on and off since I was a teenage. For most of that time I was self medicating, primarily with ever increasing quantities of alcohol. During the early years I just thought it was typical teenage angst and then early 20's blues. I still managed to achieve things, a 2hour 43 min marathon, a good degree, masters degree, etc. I was first treated for depression in my early 30s, but thought then that it was just due to heavy work load and struggling to pay my mortgage - beer and wine seemed to do the trick. However, even when I moved from England to Hong Kong and started to make good money, the black dog was still there. Mental illness carries a major stigma in China and my girlfriend/wife is Chinese so the depression wasn't talked about and I continued to self medicate for many years, including after moving to Australia in 2009. Eventually, I started to look for help again and in 2013 I hit my rock bottom and started my journey of recovery. I have not had a drink since entering detox on 17 October 2013, but the depression is still there. I lost my job whilst in a rehab because I had been absent from work for more than 3 months. Fortunately I had salary insurance, which has allowed me to focus on recovery whilst still making the mortgage payments. I also learnt that I need both hips replacing - stopping drinking revealed constant pain!
Since the surgery, which was completed in July 2014, I have completed a Cert IV in Mental Health/Drug & Alcohol studies, and I am currently studying for a Cert III in Fitness. Following this, I intend to do a Cert IV in Fitness then a Diploma in D&A Studies. I hope to work in a rehab and use fitness training to facilitate recovery. Last weekend I completed the CBR100km Challenge in 27 hours 26 mins, to raise money for Beyond Blue - sadly my depression means that I feel no sense of achievement or elation.
I am also a Director of the ACT Mental Health Consumer Network and a mental health consumer representative on 2 ACT Health committees. I am also a consumer representative on the ACT Not For Profit drug & alcohol service, DIRECTIONS, Consumer Advice Group. I have started a group called New Direction, to help persons with lived experience of mental health and/or drug and alcohol issues get involved in exercise and facilitate their recovery.
I look forward to being involved in these forums and working with Beyond Blue to advocate for us all.
