Mental Health, Straight Up for Men

Manly resources to help get your mind in check

What’s up sober owners? Mike III here. As we move into winter and the holiday season, many guys find themselves extra busy on top of feeling a bit down. I can personally attest to seasonal depression being very real as I feel it each year around this time.

So, this issue is all about men’s mental health. The good news is that there’s A LOT of information online when it comes to mental health. The tough part is finding info that’s relatable to us men and knowing what’s useful vs. what’s just bullshit. I’ve dug through some of it to share the quality, more manly resources.

This issue is going out to over 250 men (and a few women). Thank you all for your support! 🙏

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📉 Men’s Mental Health Numbers

To put things in perspective, here are some of the most alarming men’s mental health numbers I came across…

Mental Health Disorders

  • More than 6 million men are affected by depression each year [source]

  • Approximately 1 in 5 men develop alcohol dependency during their lives [source]

  • Nearly 2.5x more men than women die due to alcohol-related causes [source]

Mental Health Treatment Rates

  • 1 in 5 men haven’t seen a health professional of any kind in over a year [source]

  • Only 40% of men with mental illness received treatment in 2021, compared to 51.7% of women [source]

  • 38.3% of U.S. men report they would not feel comfortable at all speaking about anxiety/depression with someone they know [source]

Suicide Rates

  • 79% of people who die by suicide are male [source]

  • In the U.S., around 35,000 men die by suicide each year, which equals around one every 15 minutes. [source]

  • Male suicide has increased by 26% since 1999 [source]

💪 Manly Mental Health Resources

No candles & incense here, these resources can help you put a manly thump on your mental health woes including substance abuse, anxiety, depression, trauma, anger, sleep issues and more…

🧔‍♂️ Self-Care Isn’t Just for Women

Dudefluencer has thrown down the gauntlet on men’s self-care in this guide packed with tips and resources for pretty much every type of dude. Even if you’re not sold on the idea of self-care, it’s still worth a visit to check out some of the cool men’s products & services they link to in each section.

Trigger Warning: There is a reference to beer and recommendation of an alcohol-related product in the guide.

🖊️ Journaling as a Tool

I’ve always liked to write (hence the newsletter) but didn’t start journaling about myself & my life until early sobriety. It flowed pretty easily once I got started. There is something very therapeutic about writing out your thoughts. Even just scribbling down a few words can validate and help process them. Here are a couple of journals created by men…

Need some motivation & inspiration to get started? Each of these journals provide great resources to help you get going with using them most effectively…

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Own Sobriety is my passion project. I do it because I love it and it keeps me grounded to my sobriety. However, it does take a lot of time and some money to run a quality newsletter. If you enjoy the content here and would like to support the project, I have set up a page on Buy Me A Coffee that accepts small donations. As the name suggests, people can donate in $5 increments — approximately the cost of a coffee. If you do choose to support, you’ll get my gratitude and a shout out in an upcoming newsletter.