The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is an award winning charity that focuses on preventing male suicide, which unfortunately is the biggest killer of men under 45.
Sadly suicide kills more men than heart disease and any individual cancer. 75% of all suicides are men; this isn’t widely known or discussed.
Some of the fantastic work CALM provides includes:
Support for families who have a lost a loved one
Offer counselling to men in the UK through helplines, their website and online communication
Work with other charities and organisations such as TASC and the NSPA
Encourage a cultural and societal change towards men’s mental health. Inspiring men to seek help when needed
everyday on average 12 men take their own life in the UK
three in every four suicides are male
only 55% of men who’ve experienced depression will tell anyone about it
average calls to the helpline each month
suicides prevented each year
website visits each month
will cover the cost of one phone call, which could prevent a possible suicide
pays to take calls for an hour
pays for their website to be up for a whole day
will keep a line open from 5pm to midnight
runs their entire helpline for an evening, meaning they can take nearly 200 calls a night
can fund an entire issue of CALMzine spreading the word of men’s mental health
This cause is close to my heart as I’ve battled with my own mental health issue’s stemming from loss of my brother Tom (pictured right) who passed seven years ago.
Numbing the pain with alcohol and drugs was infinitely easier than facing my mounting issues.
I ended up in and out of hospital from mental breakdowns, which were triggered by substance misuse.
So after yet another trip to the hospital I was at a crossroads in my life, carry on smothering my emotions with substance’s or face up to them by getting sober and finding help.
Through my own will power and the support of my extremely patient mum and girlfriend, I’ve been sober for almost 2 years.
In this time I feel I’m coming to terms with my brothers passing and I feel that I’m in a strong position to tackle my own mental health issues.
CALM could be the only support an individual has, which highlights how important their work is. I want to give the support I had to another guy in need of a helping hand. Poor mental health doesn’t just affect the person who has it; it affects anyone in immediate contact with you.
Your support network takes the strain from your breakdowns and props you up during your darkest days. These loving people are also affected from the mental health challenges you face. By saving a brother, son or a father you can keep
a family from tearing apart. I don’t expect to save the world but If I can raise enough awareness/funds to help prevent one suicide, it would have been worth it.
Please support the cause by making a donation on my JustGiving page.
Please support the cause by making a donation on my JustGiving page.