Craig A Field MHFA

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Craig A Field MHFA

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Reducing the stigma around mental health, one conversation at a time. Space to be. Starting conversations. Creating hope. Together we CAN make a difference!
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30/10/2026

31/10 Saturday

Hi, I'm Craig. And this is One minute that could change a life!

For a long time, I thought strength meant handling everything yourself.

Never asking for help.

Never showing weakness.

Keeping your problems hidden.

But today...

I see strength very differently.

I think strength is being honest when things are difficult.

Strength is admitting when you need support.

Strength is facing things you've spent years avoiding.

Strength is taking responsibility for your actions and still believing you can become better.

Recovery taught me that vulnerability isn't the opposite of strength.

Sometimes vulnerability is the greatest form of courage.

The strongest people I've met aren't the ones who have never struggled.

They're the ones who have struggled...

And chosen to keep going.

Life will challenge all of us.

We will all have moments where we need help.

That doesn't make us weak.

It makes us human.

So if you're having a difficult time today, remember:

You don't have to prove your strength by suffering in silence.

Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is start a conversation.

What does strength mean to you now compared to when you were younger?

Let me know in the comments.

Let’s start changing the stereotype of a typical man, and share this with them.

Remember, the first step in overcoming mental health stigma is talking about it, and together—we can make a difference.

30/10/2026

This is especially important for men's mental health:

Purpose.

Because I think many men underestimate how important it is to feel that we have a reason to get up in the morning.

And purpose doesn't necessarily mean having some huge life mission.

It can be much simpler than that.

For some men, it's work.

For others, it's family and raising their children.

It could be supporting a partner.

Looking after someone.

Building something.

Playing sport.

Riding a motorcycle.

Photography.

Volunteering.

Helping other people.

It just has to be something you're passionate about.

Purpose gives us something to invest ourselves in.

Something that makes us feel useful.

Connected and needed.

And I think that's particularly important during difficult periods of life.

Because when we lose our sense of purpose, things can start to feel empty.

Maybe you've retired or lost your job.

Your children have grown up and moved out.

A relationship has ended.

Or you've simply reached a point where you don't know what comes next.

And suddenly you can find yourself asking:

“What's my purpose now?”

That can be a really difficult question.

And I think men can sometimes struggle with this because we've traditionally been encouraged to define ourselves by what we do.

Our job.

Our income.

Our role as a provider.

Our achievements.

But we're more than our job.

More than our income.

More than what we can produce.

Purpose can come from relationships.

From helping others.

From learning something new.

From creativity.

From community.

From simply being there for someone who needs you.

I've found purpose through different parts of my life, including volunteering and community involvement.

And what I've learnt is that purpose doesn't have to be about changing the world.

Sometimes it's about making a difference to one person.

Sometimes it's simply showing up.

Helping out.

Having a conversation.

Being part of something.

And that can be incredibly meaningful.

If you're feeling like you've lost your purpose, I don't think the answer is necessarily to find one enormous thing.

Start small.

Ask yourself:

What do I enjoy?

What am I good at?

Who could I help?

29/10/2026

30/10 Friday

Hi, I'm Craig. And this is One minute that could change a life!

What helps protect someone's mental health?

This is where protective factors come in.

Protective factors are things that help people cope with life's challenges and build resilience.

They don't mean someone will never struggle.

But they can make difficult times easier to manage.

Some examples:

Strong relationships.

Feeling connected to others.

Having a sense of purpose.

Healthy routines.

Physical activity.

Positive coping strategies.

Feeling valued and supported.

And one of the most important protective factors is connection.

Human beings are not designed to struggle alone.

Having even one person who genuinely cares can make a huge difference.

This is why conversations matter.

When we create supportive communities, we help build resilience before people reach crisis point.

Being Mental Health First Aider isn't just about responding when someone is struggling.

It's also about creating environments where people are more likely to ask for help.

Think about your own life.

What are the things that help you through difficult times?

Maybe that's a person.

A place.

A routine.

Or something that gives your life meaning.

I'd love to hear what your protective factors are in the comments. Let me know.

Remember, the first step in overcoming mental health stigma is talking about it, and together—we can make a difference.

See you next time

Follow Craig A Field on YouTube, Insta, & Facebook for honest conversations about mental health, recovery, addiction and hope.

29/10/2026

Addiction is often about much more than the substance itself.

If there’s anything I’ve learnt over the last 13 years it’s that there's something I think we sometimes miss when we talk about alcoholism or addiction.

We see the alcohol and drugs

We see the behaviour.

And we think:

“That's the problem.”

And yes, the substance or behaviour can absolutely be causing enormous harm.

But in my experience there's usually something underneath it.

Pain.

Trauma.

Anxiety.

Depression.

Grief.

Loneliness.

Shame. The list goes on…

Or, it’s simply not knowing how to deal with whatever it is that you're feeling.

For me, alcohol became a way of escaping.

I wasn't thinking:

“I want to become addicted to alcohol.”

I was thinking:

“I don't want to feel this.”

Actually it was more like I had never learned any other way to shut my head up, so I just drank automatically.

Alcohol gave me the escape.

At least temporarily.

It would numb things and change how I felt.

It would give me a break from thoughts and emotions I didn't know how to handle.

And that's one of the reasons addictions can be so difficult.

Because if something has become your way of coping, stopping it means you also have to learn another way to cope.

That's why recovery isn't simply:

“Stop drinking.”

Or:

“Stop using.”

There's often a much bigger question:

“What were you trying to escape from?”

And:

“How are you going to deal with that now?”

That doesn't mean we excuse harmful behaviour.

Addiction can hurt people.

It destroys relationships.

It can affect families.

It can have other serious consequences with you relationships or the law and especially your health.

People do need to take responsibility for their actions.

But responsibility and compassion can exist at the same time.

We can say:

“What happened wasn't okay.”

And also:

“Let's try to understand what was happening underneath it.”

Because if all we do is shame someone for the addiction, we might actually push them further away from the help they need.

Shame can make people hide and isolation will make things worse.

And then the cycle continues.

Recovery often means learn

28/10/2026

29/10 Thursday

Hi, I'm Craig. And this is One minute that could change a life!

What Would You Do? – on screen text

Let's see what you would do...

Someone you care about is struggling.

You've noticed changes.

You've had conversations.

You've offered support.

But when you suggest they speak to a professional, they say:

"I don't need help."

"I'm fine."

"I can handle this myself."

What would you do?

Take a moment to think about it.

The first thing to understand is that you cannot force someone to accept help.

But you can make it easier for them to consider it.

Instead of saying:

"You need therapy."

Try:

"I've noticed you're having a really hard time. Have you thought about talking to someone who could support you?"

Be curious.

Ask questions.

Listen to their reasons.

Sometimes people refuse help because they're afraid.

Afraid of judgement.

Afraid of being labelled.

Afraid of admitting they need support.

The most important thing is to keep the conversation open.

Let them know:

"I'm here when you're ready."

Supporting someone doesn't mean taking responsibility for their recovery.

It means walking alongside them.

So...

What would you have done?

Tell me in the comments. And share this with your friends and see what they would do.

Start the conversation.

Remember, the first step in overcoming mental health stigma is talking about it, and together—we can make a difference.

See you next time

Follow Craig A Field on YouTube, Insta, & Facebook for honest conversations about mental health, recovery, addiction and hope.

28/10/2026

Black Dog Ride.

I've been involved with Black Dog Ride for many years, and although I'm no longer the Southern Adelaide Ride Coordinator, I'm still involved as a volunteer.

And one of the biggest things Black Dog Ride has taught me is the power of community.

Because when you look at a motorcycle ride, you might see the bikes first.

The rumble of the bikes.

The leathers, vests and helmets.

But that's not really what it's about.

It's about the people.

People coming together around a shared purpose.

People who might have completely different backgrounds, different jobs, different lives and different experiences.

But they can all stand beside each other and say:

“We're here for the same reason.”

And I think there's something incredibly powerful about that.

Because mental health can be incredibly isolating.

You can feel like nobody understands what you're going through.

Like you're the only person struggling.

Like you have to deal with everything yourself.

And then you walk into a community where people are prepared to listen.

Where people don't necessarily need you to explain everything.

Where sometimes simply being there is enough.

That's connection.

And connection matters.

One of the things I've seen through Black Dog Ride is that people don't always come along because life is perfect.

Some ride because they've experienced mental health challenges themselves.

Some because they've lost someone.

Others because they want to support a friend or family member.

And some simply believe that talking about mental health matters.

Everyone has their own reason.

But they come together.

And that's what community does.

It reminds us that we're not completely on our own.

It gives us somewhere to belong.

And sometimes it gives us the courage to have a conversation we might not otherwise have.

I've had conversations through Black Dog Ride that I'll remember for a very long time.

Not because I had some magic words.

But because people were willing to talk.

And people were willing to listen.

That's what I think community is really about.

Not fixing everyone.

Not having all the answers.

Just showing up and listening.

Supporting each other.

28/10/2026

Anxiety.

One of the things I wish more people understood is that anxiety can make something that seems incredibly small to you feel absolutely enormous to someone experiencing it.

You might look at a situation and think:

“What's the big deal?”

But for someone experiencing anxiety, it can feel like a really big deal.

I’d struggle to make a phone call.

I hated walking into a room full of people, and found it really hard to talk to people I didn’t know.

Maybe for you it’s going somewhere you've never been.

Believe it or not I struggled to speak in front of groups or do presentationss.

You might struggle to send an email or go to an appointment.

Even getting out of bed on a difficult day can be difficult

The thing itself might seem small.

But anxiety isn't always responding to the size of the situation.

It's responding to what the person's mind believes might happen.

“What if I get it wrong?”

“What if everyone notices?”

“What if something goes wrong?”

“What if they judge me?”

And then the mind starts running through every possible outcome.

One thought leads to another.

And another.

Until something that should be relatively simple feels completely overwhelming.

Anxiety can also affect your body.

Your heart can race.

You can feel shaky.

You might sweat.

Your chest can feel tight.

You might feel sick.

Your thoughts can become difficult to control.

And when all of that happens, it's not particularly helpful for someone to hear:

“Just relax.”

If it were that easy, they probably would.

Now, I'm not saying we should treat people as though they're incapable of doing difficult things.

Quite the opposite.

Support can help people gradually face the things they're anxious about.

But there's a big difference between supporting someone and dismissing what they're experiencing.

Instead of saying:

“There's nothing to worry about.”

Maybe try:

“I can see this is really difficult for you. How can I support you?”

You don't have to understand exactly what someone is feeling to take them seriously.

And if you're someone who experiences anxiety, remember this:

The fact that something feels enormous doesn't mea

27/10/2026

28/10 Wednesday

Hi, I'm Craig. And this is One minute that could change a life!

One of the hardest things for people to understand about addiction is relapse.

I’ve talked a little about this earlier but it’s worth revisiting.

Because many people see relapse and think:

"They failed."

"They didn't really want recovery."

"They're back to square one."

But recovery is rarely that simple.

Relapse can happen for many reasons.

Stress.

Old patterns of thinking.

Unresolved emotions.

Trauma.

Isolation.

Being in situations where old behaviours are easily accessible.

But here's something important.

A relapse does not erase all the progress someone has made.

The days, weeks, months or even years of recovery still happened.

The lessons still happened.

The growth still happened.

A relapse is a sign that something needs attention.

It's an opportunity to ask:

"What happened?"

"What support was missing?"

"What can be changed moving forward?"

That doesn't mean avoiding responsibility.

Recovery still requires honesty and accountability.

But shame rarely helps someone recover.

Support does.

One of the most important things we can do is to stop seeing relapse as the end of someone's story.

Sometimes it's a difficult chapter in a much bigger story.

If you or someone you know has experienced relapse, remember...

A setback does not mean there is no way forward.

There is always another step.

Do you know someone that has relapsed? Share this with them.

Have you relapsed? Save this to remind yourself relapse is not the end of the story.

Remember, the first step in overcoming mental health stigma is talking about it, and together—we can make a difference.

See you next time

Follow Craig A Field on YouTube, Insta, & Facebook for honest conversations about mental health, recovery, addiction and hope.

27/10/2026

Some personal reflection today about the person I was before recovery.

And this is something I've thought about a lot.

Because when I look back, I don't think I was always the person I wanted people to see.

And for a long time, I wasn't even sure I knew who I was anymore.

Alcohol had become such a big part of my life.

And when you're using something to escape, to numb or to avoid what you're feeling, you can slowly lose sight of yourself.

Not overnight, it happens gradually.

You start making decisions you wouldn't normally make.

You say things you regret and hurt people.

You break trust, I was morally and ethically bankrupt at the end of my drinking, so it no wonder people didn’t trust me.

And sometimes you wake up and realise that the person you're becoming isn't the person you ever intended to be, or worse, you wake up and realise, as I did, that I had become the person I had always said I would not be.

I don’t like admitting that.

Because looking honestly at who I was, meant, I also had to look honestly at the damage I'd done.

And for a long time, I didn't want to do that.

It was much easier to keep drinking.

To blame circumstances, “if you had my life, you’d drink me too”

It was easier to avoid responsibility.

And to keep running from the truth.

But eventually, I had to stop.

And recovery forced me to take a look at myself.

Not the person I wanted people to think I was.

Not the excuses or the stories I told myself.

Me. Just me!

And that was confronting.

I had to ask myself:

Who am I?

Who do I want to be?

And:

What am I going to do differently?

Recovery didn't suddenly turn me into a perfect person.

It didn't erase my past.

And it didn't magically fix every part of my life.

But it gave me an opportunity to start becoming someone I could respect again.

Someone who could be honest and responsible.

Someone who would show up.

Someone who didn't have to keep running from himself.

And perhaps that's one of the biggest things recovery has given me.

The chance to get to know myself without alcohol.

To work out what I value and what matters to me.

What kind of person did I want to be?

And how did I want to live my life

27/10/2026

Do you have something you enjoy doing.

A hobby or interest.

Something that's yours.

And it doesn't have to be anything extraordinary.

For me, motorcycles and photography have both played an important role in my life.

But for someone else, it might be music or maybe a sport.

It could be just about anything else, so long as it gives you enjoyment.

And I think hobbies can be good for our mental health for a number of reasons.

The first is that they can give us something to look forward to.

Life can become very repetitive.

Work.

Responsibilities.

Bills.

Problems.

Sleep.

Then do it all again.

Having something you enjoy doing can break that cycle.

It can give you something in the week that you genuinely look forward to.

The second thing is focus.

When you're doing something you enjoy, you can become fully involved in the moment.

When I'm out riding a motorcycle, for example, I have to focus on what I'm doing.

The road and conditions, not to mention all the idiots out there trying to kill me.

Just the ride itself.

For a while, I'm not sitting there overthinking everything else, I have to concentrate.

Photography can do the same thing for me.

When you're concentrating on creating an image, you're focused on that moment.

Other people find that through music, art, sport or countless other hobbies.

But I think one of the biggest benefits can be connection.

Because hobbies often connect us with other people.

Motorcycles bring riders together.

Sport creates teams and communities.

Photography connects creative people.

Music can bring people together in ways that are hard to explain.

And even something as simple as fishing with a mate can create a space for conversation.

Sometimes people find it easier to talk when they're doing something together.

The conversation doesn't have to be forced.

You're just spending time together.

And eventually someone says:

“Actually, things haven't been great lately.”

That's another reason I think hobbies can be so valuable.

They can create opportunities for connection.

And that matters.

Hobbies can also give us a sense of purpose.

They remind us that we are more than our job.

More than our proble

Address

Adelaide, SA

Website

http://www.craigafield.com/

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