Growing up I struggled with mental health

Mental health is the starting point of everything for me. 

I grew up in a family with complex issues. Thinking back now, I never realized how unwell I was as a kid and as a teenager. 

About ten years ago, the last straw broke and helped me realize what was happening to me: the loss of my unborn little brother. 

It was irrational. Everyone was telling me it wasn’t my fault, including my mother. It didn’t matter, the guilt was always there. 

From that point, signs started showing me something wasn’t right. 
 

I studied psychology to learn about myself

Not long after that, faced with choosing my uni major, I decided to learn more about myself and what was going on inside my head. I began a psychology degree.

After years of study, I gained more understanding about mental health, but I still couldn’t fix myself. The negative thoughts and guilt were still with me. So I thought, I want to help other people, to find some purpose in life. After some research, I decided to continue my journey in social work. 

In the second year of my social work degree, I was very lucky to get a placement position in the AOD (Alcohol and Other Drugs) sector. I didn’t know what to expect. I was even scared at first, working with people who use substances.
 

Working in AOD changed my mind about people who use drugs

I am from an Asian country. Since childhood, I was told drugs are bad, they are evil, and people who use them are bad too. The media and all the adults around me made it sound like regardless of what got you into substance use, if you use, you are a bad person. 

Yes, I came from that kind of background, but I was going to work in an addiction service. My family were worried about my safety… as time passed and I got more and more training and knowledge around AOD, I started to understand there is more to it. The people around me were wrong about people who use drugs. It is much more than just a person’s choice. Our clients were just people who were dealing with problems and needed help.   

That was how I started to gain interest in this area. 

After finishing my degree, I found out the organisation that I had my placement in was hiring, so I thought, I am already familiar with the field, the organisation, and also interested in it, why not give it a go? Luckily enough, I got a position, and that’s how I got into the AOD sector and became an AOD counsellor. 
 

I learn from the people I support

It has been one and a half years and every day at work, I hear stories that are so different in some ways — but the one thing they share is the desperation of the people looking for help. 

People are often quick to judge those who use substances, but I see so much more in each individual. Some of them love to exercise, they go to the gym every day or most days. Some are teachers who are passionate about helping kids to create a brighter future. Some are caring and loving parents who are trying to be better for their children. Most of them are so dedicated and would do anything to not go back and use again. 

To be honest, some of these people are doing things I struggle with so much. I sure wish I could get myself to the gym at least two times a week…

The main thing I learned from this is, don’t judge a person just because of the one thing they do or did. We all make mistakes or struggle with something in life. Listen to their stories, learn about who they are because almost all the time, there is more underneath the surface, much more!  

Another thing I learned from working with people is, most of the time, when we are in the middle of a situation, we are not able to see the whole picture or figure out what to do because we are too overwhelmed. 

For example, a client might say they find it very triggering to walk past several bottle shops before reaching home every day, and they don’t know how to manage the triggers and urges. In this case, a question I would ask is, how about going home on a different route? And most of the time their answer would be, that’s a good idea, I can try that. So if you feel like you are stuck, or nothing seems to be changing in your journey, try talking to someone and get a new perspective. 

If you feel like you need someone to talk to, or a new perspective might help you, jump in a chat or check out our member community and start telling us about your story and who you really are!