<\/p>
Liam Colebrook was flying high at work, had completed long-distance triathlons and was a proud father of two, but underneath the ‘success’ he was seriously struggling with his mental health to the point where he considered suicide. <\/strong><\/p> Here he shares his story of how he found his way out of the darkness\u2026<\/p> I went to watch a friend of mine compete at Ironman UK, Bolton<\/strong>. There was a real buzz to the event and I thought, \u2018I want to do this\u2019. My swim history was zero but, not long after, I finished my first event, a sprint, and then in 2016 I finished Ironman Bolton.<\/p> From the outside it looked like I was flying<\/strong>. I was a senior manager of a PLC traveling the world. I had a wife and two beautiful children. But for years I\u2019d been struggling.<\/p> During Covid, I went to the doctors<\/strong> and told them, \u2018I\u2019m struggling here and I\u2019m thinking about ending my life.\u2019<\/strong> He put me in touch with a therapist, but I convinced them, and myself, I was fine.<\/p> I was drinking more and gambling. <\/strong>Things spiralled. I was gambling to stay awake at night. I\u2019d set my alarm for 20-minute intervals. If I fell asleep, then tomorrow would come quicker and it\u2019d be horrendous.<\/p> Depression, anxiety, gambling, drink, money problems\u2026 It was horrid.<\/strong> Looking back, things worsened as I grew inactive. I\u2019d gone from playing football (albeit badly!) to doing triathlon all the time. But then I stopped.<\/p> My irrational side was out of control.<\/strong> I nearly bought a tent as I thought I could be homeless. It never entered my head that my family or friends would ask why I was living in a field.<\/p> My family and I attended a football match.<\/strong> I\u2019d had a bet like normal, but I wasn\u2019t just gambling with money now but also my life. If there weren\u2019t three goals in the match, I\u2019d end my life. At half-time it was nil-nil. I gambled again. This time I needed two goals. In the 85th minute Mansfield, our team, are winning one-nil, but I thought, \u2018This isn\u2019t saving your dad\u2019s life.\u2019 Five minutes later it was one-one. This couldn\u2019t go on.<\/p> I\u2019d been introduced to a gambling therapy charity called \u2018Gordon Moody\u2019 and ended up going to rehab. <\/strong>But I\u2019d convinced myself I didn\u2019t have a gambling problem and had a bet on the way there. On arrival someone asked how much I\u2019d lost. I asked them quickly in return and when I heard the answer things started to hit me that I may be experiencing gambling harm. \u00a0<\/p> Nobody knew I\u2019d been in rehab. <\/strong>At work I\u2019m walking around thinking, \u2018I\u2019ve just been in rehab for a week\u2019. I\u2019ve got 50 people working for me and I\u2019m putting on a smiley face.<\/p> Epic Restart Foundation, Gamcare and Step Change helped me every day <\/strong>and slowly I began to grow healthier. I was now kipping on a mattress on the floor and using vouchers to buy food donated by \u2028the charities.<\/p> Then I got an email asking for volunteers at the Outlaw in 2023.<\/strong> I loved it and found my tribe again. Soon after I did a 10km race. I helped at all the Outlaw events and my children came with me to Thoresby. They even raced the future Outlaw.<\/p> In September 2023, I completed Ironman 70.3 Weymouth. <\/strong>I\u2019m now on a training programme toward the 2024 Outlaw. Without having the structure of a training plan, I would struggle. But I owe so much to the charities in this article, Outlaw and triathlon.<\/p> I can\u2019t overstate the impact that that summer had on my recovery. <\/strong>I was spending time outdoors, giving back to a community that I enjoyed being part of, living a healthy active life with likeminded people and getting to spend quality time with my children.<\/p> For those struggling with their mental health<\/strong>, these are the steps I\u2019d urge anyone to try; seek the right professional help for you, remain healthy, find something positive to focus on and enjoy being active outdoors with your tribe.<\/p> Liam is a business development director who is passionate about triathlon and mental health. He is involved with a number of charities in this sector, sharing his lived experience to raise awareness and help destigmatise mental health. If you\u2019ve been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please consider visiting the following:\u00a0<\/p> 1. gordonmoody.org.uk<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p> 2. epicrestartfoundation.org\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>Advice<\/h2>