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MYB 019: Alistair Mitchell | Overcoming Drug Addiction and Mental Illness
In the third of this 4-part series on Men's Health for Movember 2017, I spoke with Livin' ambassador, Alistair Mitchell. Alistair's family have long owned caravan parks and resorts across the country and he has just sold his park here in Darwin, the FreeSpirit Resort. Honestly, the food in that place is remarkable! Alistair grew up in country Victoria and lived a typical country life playing footy, smoking cigarettes and hanging out at the pub with his mates. When a series of challenging circumstances fell upon him in very short succession, he fell into a habit of very expensive drug addiction, which led to his suicide attempt driving off a bridge. Believe in fate or not, as he was driving to his death, his phone rang. Unable to turn the bluetooth off, he answered the call. It was his wife asking where he was and if he was okay after an argument they had. Thankfully, Alistair is still with us today and is helping to normalise the conversation around mental illness by sharing his story. In this episode you'll learn: - What Livin' as a foundation is and does - The idea behind the Walk 'n' Talk meetings that Alistair holds - Alistair's battle with depression and anxiety - His attempts to self-medicate and how that led to a very dark place - The story behind and of his suicide attempt - Why everyone should have a life coach - How telling his story on social media helped him - His very effective analogy of the windshield versus the rearview mirror - The weight of expectation living with an autistic child - Why his $10,000/month cocaine addiction wasn't something worse - Why Alistair now keeps full bottles of alcohol in his office - How to best assist someone in a crisis - What mental health first aid is - How food effects your emotions - Alistair's morning shower mindfulness practice - How to use fear as a motivator - Plus, why mental illness seems to be more prevalent today. For more information, go to www.JacobAndreae.com