START HERE: Welcome!

Sorry for the late reply - have been away.

I hope you are travelling ok @Journeyman - pop back and say hi again some time

Hi @Jeonn - it’s great to see you here on the forum.
Drinking is such a challenging thing to figure out isn’t it… I hope your new clinicians are helping.
And thank you for your service. I’m a bit younger than you but when I first joined the Army in 91 there were still quite a few Vietnam vets around and I was always so interested to hear their stories, and so sorry about the hard battle when you returned.
Feel free to jump in here on the forums when you feel like connecting - we all love to say gday and learn more about each other or offer a shoulder to lean on.

Hello @Fox17 , @Magpie22 , @Jeonn , @Ru-bee , @Oaktree , @tyme

Evening all,

I’m fairly new as a Peer Guide with SANE and haven’t been as active as I would have liked, mainly due to long workdays and managing some of my own challenges.

I served as an Army Reservist from 1996 to 1998 and was medically discharged following a serious back injury. At the time, this was attributed to a “genetic defect” in my spine—despite the physical demands of service, including carrying a 60kg pack and an M60. The experience, combined with being threatened with charges and gaol if I lodged a compensation claim, contributed to ongoing anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

Fast-forward to today, I’m heavily involved in volunteer work. This includes supporting the Australian Army Cadets, the RFS, a statewide P&C association, and most recently being nominated and elected as a Director on a not-for-profit board (PSA: never joke in public about how hard something might be 😂).

Through my work with Cadets in particular, I spend a lot of time helping young people understand and manage their mental wellbeing, as well as navigate general life challenges. Seeing them grow, build resilience, and develop goals for their future has been incredibly rewarding.

I’m hoping to bring that same approach here—supporting others through whatever they’re facing and helping them recognise the positives and opportunities that still exist, even during difficult times.

Wishing you all a positive and fulfilling week ahead.

one day at a time my friends @Fox17 , @BecomingOkay , @Magpie22 , @Ru-bee , @tyme

From my experience the service I was using [edited by moderator] was a band aid, the third party professionals they use initially seem interested and want to help. I had my first 20 sessions and we had a robust roadmap, or what I thought, and I was literally told to go give life a crack and use the tools I had been shown, cya. I wasn't doing so well about 9 months later and was told my original counsellor was not available and to be frank the next one did not fit my requested parameters at all. So what are you going to do? I'm no better now and to make matters worse, lost my casual job without discussion and also my partner of 28 years left me. Life is pretty lonely now to be honest. I am living day by day.

@Fox17

A little tip to put a @ In front of members names so they can receive your message and reply back to you

@Jynx

Hi @Fox17 thanks for sharing some of your experiences with us, I'm sorry to hear that you've been through some very complex things and not gotten a lot of support for it.

Glad you found this space. Feel free to share as much or as little of your story as you feel comfortable, and of course if there's anything the community can do to support you, just let us know 💜

Welcome to the forums @Fox17

I was assaulted in the Army in the 80’s. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be uncommon. I hope you are able to move forward with therapy