Trigger Warning: Suicide
'Alcohol is optional'
Harrison Ward AKA Fell Foodie is a mental health advocate with a passion for cooking, hiking and combining the two.
After growing up in Carlisle to a loving and supporting family, he went from a happy go lucky, glass half full kind of character to almost overnight experiencing a wave of self-loathing, demotivation and insecurity.
Harrison struggled with identifying himself to others and at that time there was a male bravado aspect around talking about mental health in the form of the expectation to simply keep calm and carry on.
As an 18 year old Harrison was introduced to alcohol as a bartender and after a few pints the alcohol helped with the self-loathing and insecurity, just for a while.
He soon became addicted to alcohol, his weight had ballooned and he was drinking 20 pints a day and smoking 20 cigarettes a day.
One night whilst drunk Harrison called his Mother to tell him that he was going to take his own life. Thankfully Harrison did not, but things just didn't change.
It had all come to a sudden halt when Harrison had an emotional breakdown at work and realised that he had to stop drinking alcohol to change his situation.
One day a friend turned up at his doorstep and they went on a hike. 2 weeks off the booze and cigs, overweight struggling up one of the highest mountains in the Lake District. One foot in front of the other.
Something changed for Harrison that day, a new addiction was sparked. Hiking became the ultimate metaphor; pushing through the pain, not knowing the destination, but having faith that he would make it in the end.
Not a year had passed since he had started my sobriety journey and he had managed to drop 7 stone in weight and complete a marathon!
Harrison's hiking mates often became jealous when comparing their soggy sandwiches to his grub, commenting that he should actually take a stove out and cook from scratch on the fells.
Harrison created an Instagram account called Fellfoodie to anonymously document his outdoor cooking and ended up getting a substantial following.
Now Harrison gives back to the community by continuing to document his journey and teaching adults and children how to make great food to fuel great adventures.
Resources:
https://www.instagram.com/fellfoodie
