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SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE

https://www.fcc.gov/suicide-prevention-hotline

988 Suicide Hotline number approved and will begin in 2022

In two years, individuals in suicidal crisis seeking help will have a number that's easy to remember and quick to dial to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

At its July open meeting Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission's five leaders unanimously voted to finalize 988 as the three-digit number Americans can dial and be directed to the 24/7 national hotline.Callers currently reach the hotline by phoning the 10-digit number: 1-800-273-8255 (TALK).But with the FCC's vote to adopt a final rule Thursday, phone service providers will begin the transition process to implement the 988 number nationwide by July 16, 2022.Even after 988 is active, callers will still be able to reach the hotline through the original 10-digit number.

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MY STORY

My Passion for Physcial & Mental Fitness, and Overall Wellness

I wasn't always an active healthy person. I had a long history battling drug addiction and alcoholism, and I suffer from bipolar disorder, coupled with being very overweight and not very active. After several rehabs, I finally got sober, but then I gained over 70 pounds in my first year of getting sober from drugs and alcohol. On Dec. 31st, 2008, I stepped on the scale and weighed over 250 lbs at only 5 ft, 8 inches tall - this was almost all excess fat and not muscle. My doctor told me that I was pre-diabetic and might not make it to 50 years old at the rate I was going. That was my wake up call. I made a decision to stop eating seconds, quit smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, and to exercise for at least 1 hour everyday. I vowed to stop being a full-time couch potato, and I wouldn't allow myself to lay on the couch and watch TV or play video games, unless I had exercised for at least an hour already that day. I re-joined my local gym. Then lost over 60 lbs in under 6 months, and then I signed up for a half ironman triathlon. Once I saw what I could do with a stronger, fitter body, I was hooked. After successfully completing that half-ironman, I started doing full ironman triathlons every year for several years until I moved up to ultra endurance racing events that are even longer and more grueling than ironman triathlons. I have scaled all of the tallest mountains in and around southern California, as going to the summit of Mt. Whitney - the highest peak in the 48 contiguous states. I have gone in caves and up canyons. My passion for fitness is based on a passion for living life to its fullest, and it has helped and continues to help me manage my recovery from drug addiction and bipolar disorder.

START WHERE YOU ARE:

Every day, meet yourself where you are. My stories and tips might not be for where you are, but you can adapt them to your own adventure. What challenges you today? Let's face those challenges together as a team. Send me a message about what challenges you are overcoming in your life. I'd love to feature your story in one of my next blogs.