![I remember the call like it was yesterday. It was just after dinner one night when my mate called to ask me how I was going. But not the usual ‘how are you going?’ He asked me how I was really going, he digged a little deeper to really get it out of me. From [...]](http://softenthefckup.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/HDYHATC-252x109.jpg "How do you have a tough conversation?")
I remember the call like it was yesterday. It was just after dinner one night when my mate called to ask me how I was going. But not ...
![“I did not come out until the age of 23 and even then it was a very slow, nervous and calculated process. I was worried what the world would think – would I be turned into a second class citizen, does it make me less legitimate and credible and does it make me less of [...]](http://softenthefckup.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Ourchildrenarelistening-252x109.jpg "Our children are listening")
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How do you have a tough conversation?
I remember the call like it was yesterday. It was just after dinner one night when my mate called to ask me how I was going. But not the usual 'how are you going?' He asked me how I was really going, he digged a little deeper to really get it out of me. From a distance I probably come across as a pretty ordinary Australian bloke who's had it pretty good. Finished uni, has a good job, a good set of mates, plays sport, I think you get my point. But the one thing that I have in common with every other Australian male out there is that at some stage in our lives we will all go through a tough time. I was going through a stage in my life where a combination of family issues, relationship pressures and the fact that some ...
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So… talking about addiction…
So… talking about addiction… That sentence sounds so simple, right? It’s just ‘talking about addiction’, but to me it contains the very crux of the problem: actually talking to someone. Often this first step is so hard it prevents many men from finding out about how to tackle their problems, or even discovering that there’s something wrong in the first place. So, what’s the big deal? Well, for me, when I think I should ‘talk about addiction’, it creates a whole heap of fears before I’ve even opened my mouth; “they’re going to judge me and treat me differently now”, “they’ll think I’m a failure because I can’t deal with it”, “they’re going to over-react”. I conjure up a hellish conversation where I end up ...