So, you have made it this far. You will likely be here for different reasons. If you know me then I am sure for some of you having a sneak peak into the mind of Nick Denton will no doubt be at the top of your agendas every week. From now until this blog blows up so big that I am on your television screens, wireless sets and every new social media platforms that have yet to be invented. For those of you who don’t know me, I am warning you now that sarcasm and facetiousness will be a regular feature within these posts. The previous sentence is your first taste of that, I hope it didn’t disappoint. After all, sarcasm is the highest form of wit.
I want to make it clear from the very outset the main purposes of these posts. I believe they will primarily aid me in my recovery and allow me to write openly to convey my thoughts in a way that I am unable to articulate to loved ones, friends, colleagues, mental health professionals or alcohol support groups. I am not seeking pity, empathy, or any recognition from this. As I said, it is to aid me on my path to a better quality of life. However, if anyone who reads any of my posts and finds anything that resonates with them then I hope it can help. Even if one person reads something and decides to get help or talk to someone then Sobering Thoughts will be a force for good. And yes, I did come up with the name. I am quite pleased with it.
I wanted to start writing these posts now. The main reason being is that I am not fully recovered. By contrast, I am very much at the beginning of my ‘journey’ towards what I hope to be a much happier place. I really dislike the term ‘journey’ but hey ho, its very much the buzzword of its time. I have only recently started getting the necessary help and support to my problems in the last couple of months. Prior to this, it has mainly been an internal struggle. I do not recommend this approach one bit but sadly, I know many people continue along this path and some tragically with devastating consequences. Mercifully, mental health and wellbeing are no longer taboo subjects. We have all heard the awful statistics relating to mental health and suicides particularly in men under the age of 45. Therefore talking, writing, reading about this subject has never been more important. I read an interesting quote recently from Henry Windsor (also known as Prince Harry) who said, “The experience I have had is that once you start talking about experiencing a mental health struggle, you realise that actually you’re part of quite a big club.” This is true and for some that provides a lot of comfort knowing that people from any background can be affected by this. Help is out there in many different forms, and I want to explore this more as we go.
I will be covering two main issues throughout these posts. Firstly, my ongoing battle with mental health which up until recently had been a private struggle only shared with a handful of people close to me. Secondly, I will be focusing on my dysfunctional relationship with alcohol and how it has been a major factor in the downward trajectory of my mental health. I believe the two to be intrinsically linked in my ongoing struggles. This is my take and my take only. I wouldn’t wish to speculate or try to pretend I know how and why people struggle with their mental health, everyone is different.
Throughout these posts I plan to be as open and honest as I can be, sharing some of the darkest moments I have endured, the worst drunken episodes I have had (trust me when I say that I could write a post a week until around the age of 147) but also trying to provide some much-needed brighter moments as I move on from this dark time in my life. I hope that if you are reading this and you have had or are having your own problems you will be able to start your own conversation about how you are feeling. Whether that is with friends, family, partners or even myself. I would also be keen to help in any way that I can.
I will be posting weekly and I can’t promise it will be laugh a minute, however the tales of drunken episodes will be probably be humorous enough to balance out any more serious undertones.
Thanks very much for reading so far, next week I will begin discussing where my issues began with both mental health and alcohol.
Nick Denton
Sobering Thoughts