Warning: This blog will discuss suicide. If you are having thoughts of suicide, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.
Men die by suicide 3.53 times more often than women do, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. In 2016, 7 of 10 suicides were white males. White males who are middle-aged have the highest rate of suicide. Big Think reported on the disturbing trend in 2017 explaining plainly that “Today, being white and male are the two single greatest risk factors for suicide in the US.” The article cites research from Princeton in 2015 which found that the death rate among white, middle-aged men were rising. From 1999 onward, according to a suicide prevention expert, 70% of deaths from suicide each year were white, middle-aged men. While the article goes on to argue a correlation between “hegemonic masculinity”, high societal expectations, and desperate financial situations, it must be understood that there is no singular factor which causes suicide. Suicide is a complex decision often inspired by someone having a complex time in life. One of the greatest facets of this complexity is feeling disconnected from the rest of the world and completely alone.
September 9th to September 15th of 2018 marks National Suicide Prevention Week, this year focusing on “The Power of Connection”. Isolation is a troubling behavioral pattern that men in active addiction are all too familiar and learn to be particularly keenly aware of in their active recovery. The AFSP emphasizes that scientific evidence proves suicide risk can be reduced by maintaining a connection with one another. “We can all play a role through the power of connection by having real conversations about mental health with people in everyday moments,” the organization explains. “We don’t always know who is struggling, but we do know that one conversation could save a life.”
The Power Of Conversation and Connection
Men face enormous societal pressures to limit their emotional expressions because their emotions make them “weak”. The weight of having to be “strong” can be too much to bear and become extremely isolating. Feeling ashamed and alone, men suffer in solitude rather than struggle in solidarity.
Recovering amongst a brotherhood of like-minded, like-purposed, like-passioned men is a experience for men. At Tree House Recovery, men are finding freedom from addiction by building a network of brothers they can trust and lifestyle that sets up a limitless life. For information, call us today.
Transform your life, inside and out as you find freedom from addiction. At Tree House Recovery in Orange County, California, we’re helping men create the sustainable changes necessary to build a sustainable recovery. Call us today for information: (855) 202-2138