Forum Reviews

Thank you for this forum; it truly is a lifeline! I would be completely lost without this outlet. It’s scary for me to even think what it would be like without the others here on this site, along with the information I had at my fingertips instantly. I didn’t have to go out in public to buy a book or meet with someone; there was no need to wait for a book to arrive. I needed information now, no matter what time it was. I needed to know I would survive.

I came to this site two months after my brother died. … Before I came I was beginning to question my own mental health. Through the forum community I learned what I was going through was perfectly normal. Just to know what you are feeling is normal and that others are going through the same thing is very, very helpful. The Alliance of Hope, along with therapy and a good spouse, has gotten me through the darkest days of my life.

During the first few weeks following my husband’s suicide it was unimaginable to me that I could ever get through. Coming here daily, as I do, I have learned that I can get beyond just surviving. I have found kinship here. I listen and share with people that truly “get it.” It is a place I feel safe to vent my anger, frustrations, and sadness. It also helps to share my experience with others that are “new” to the site and going through those horrific first few weeks where you are on your knees. I need to reach out to them, to let them know, it WILL get better. That we can choose to be a survivor and not a victim.

I found this site by pure accident after my daughter’s death in April. I was desperate for a place to share my feelings of utter desolation, to know that I was not alone, that I was not mad, that I was not a bad mother, that I had not failed my beautiful daughter. … By reading about the experience of survivors who were further ahead in this journey of grief, I regained hope that I too could survive this most devastating of losses, that I did not need to follow my daughter, that life could once again have meaning. I visit this site every day, and always – without exception – find something that inspires me and helps me carry on.

When I found this community it was like finding a sibling I didn’t know I had. Even though we have never met, there is a strong bond between us all. From the moment I read the posts of others, and posted my own story, I knew I belonged here. We are a community; we are a family of survivors.

When I first joined I would just read and read. It helped me get through so many nights. When I felt a little stronger I started to post and I could feel the empathy from strangers reaching out to comfort me. Then I reached another step in this journey. I would try to respond to newer members and offer them some hope and peace in knowing they were not alone. And in reaching out to try and comfort others it brought me some peace. This community, more than anything else, has helped me make some progress in wanting to live again.