Today is September 10, 2013, and for those of you who do not know, it is World Suicide Prevention day. I remember sitting in math class as a child and debating large numbers with fellow students. What came before infinity? 1,000,000. It is an extremely large and staggering number. It is also the approximation of the number of suicidal deaths that happen in the world each YEAR. That averages out to a suicide happening every 40 seconds in the world. To bring it a little closer to home, about 30,000 Americans commit suicide each year, which is more than the number of homicides.
Two things have been consistent in my life from age 12, up until about 10 months ago: a crippling active drug addiction as well as depression and thoughts of suicide. Now I never really put the two together when I think about it. However a study done in recent years said 73% of suicides also tested positive for at least one substance (alcohol, cocaine, heroin or marijuana). Now when the facts are put to me like that, I see the correlation.
Both addiction and mental health issues are incapacitating and worth talking to someone about. And the reality of the situation is that 2/3 people with thoughts of suicide do NOT talk about it. When I wake up and feel like I want to use drugs, or maybe that day I actually do not want to be alive, I tell someone. I pick up the phone. Why? Because deep down I WANT to live.
Nate F
Jaywalker U Student
