Today I spoke at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. It was a great opportunity and Charleston is an awesome city. The Citadel is a military school where everyone has to wear a uniform and follow a military lifestyle on campus. I spoke to all of the juniors who are allowed off of campus for 4 hours every Wednesday night and on the weekends. Apparently a lot of the 95% male campus tries to release everything they can in their 4 hours off campus, which is definitely understandable, but can create some mental health problems.
So I talked about alcohol and how I used it to self-medicate all of my symptoms of bipolar disorder as well as other issues. I think it’s always tough to speak to an all male audience for a variety of reasons, but the presentation went over really well. A lot of the cadets thanked me for coming and I was really happy to have the chance.
There is a lot of stress at every college, but when you’re waking up everyday at 5:30 AM and scheduled to be doing things until lights out at 11 PM it can be even more stressful. So I hope you Citadel cadets get some sleep! Thanks to your counseling center and people devoted to helping you be ok for bringing me!
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Hi Ross! I am a cadet at The Citadel and I really enjoyed the speech that you gave to us a week or so ago. I found a great deal of inspiration from your story because I found many similarities of it in my own life. When I was a freshman and sophomore HS student in Denver, CO I had two near fatal occurances involving drugs, OD’ing. Luckily I had parents that cared very much for my safety and they sent me to military school… the rest is history. However, I still battle with my social anxiety - though I do not resort to alcohol of drugs to deal with it anymore, I feel a renewed sense of hope that I can find help to someday find a different way to overcome my anxiety after hearing what you had to say. Thank you for visiting us.
“Ross Szabo has reached more than a half a million young people with crucial information and inspiration about mental health. He has a true gift for getting through, and Behind Happy Faces now allows him to communicate beyond the walls of a full school assembly. His book will most certainly reach you, and it will help you reach others. If it’s understanding and compassion you seek, look no further.”
~ Lizzie Simon Author, DETOUR: My Bipolar Road Trip in 4-D
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September 12th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Hi Ross! I am a cadet at The Citadel and I really enjoyed the speech that you gave to us a week or so ago. I found a great deal of inspiration from your story because I found many similarities of it in my own life. When I was a freshman and sophomore HS student in Denver, CO I had two near fatal occurances involving drugs, OD’ing. Luckily I had parents that cared very much for my safety and they sent me to military school… the rest is history. However, I still battle with my social anxiety - though I do not resort to alcohol of drugs to deal with it anymore, I feel a renewed sense of hope that I can find help to someday find a different way to overcome my anxiety after hearing what you had to say. Thank you for visiting us.