CONTENT WARNING: Themes of suicidaility and drug use  

Back in Newcastle for the weekend, I jump in the car and let the city tell the story. We drive past the places that shaped me, from the University of Newcastle and the pressure of honours, to the Mater Hospital where survival became the priority. It's a raw, real-time reflection on what it's like returning to the streets that forged you.

Along the way I talk about living with ADHD, autism and borderline personality disorder, and how that mix can fuel loneliness, validation seeking and the feeling of never quite being enough. I also unpack the reality of drugs and alcohol, not as a way to have fun, but as a way so many people try to cope, function and simply make it through the day.

We finish down at the beaches where I used to do some of my deepest thinking, reflecting on social anxiety, recovery, and the strange feeling of loving your hometown while knowing you had to leave it to survive.

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Created by Elliot Waters — Inspired by lived experience.
Mental health insights, real stories, real conversations.