User:Beer1970

stephen antony beer born 1970 plymouth devon came a reailty tv star in 2015 channel 5 to fat to work .went on to itv this morning and many tv and radio programmes. stephen antony beer is also a campainer for obesity and mental health. In Stephen Beer's case, mental health resulted in years of addiction. Firstly to alcohol in his early 20s, and then food, resulting in Steve, 46, ending up morbidly obese. Steve, from Plymouth, demonstrated other classic symptoms including self harm, suicidal tendencies, attachment & relationship issues. He has had 6 marriages and found it very difficult to maintain meaningful relationships. Steve featured on Channel 5s "Too Fat To Work " after being convinced it would be a positive programme highlighting the problems associated with the public image of obesity. In fact, all it did was vilify him and he was denounced in the media as 'Britain's fattest scrounger'. The effect of this sent him on a downward spiral, culminating in an attempt to kill himself by jumping off a bridge. Steve was sectioned for 72 hours and received the help and support necessary. Still, upon return to his home & wife, Michelle, Steve continued to self harm and sink deeper & deeper into depression. He was unable to leave his home through fear of attacks, scared to answer his phone, was in a financial crisis and was estranged from family and friends. Life seemed pretty gloomy. Then in May 2016 Steve and Michelle met a new friend and upon discussion Steve realised he had an eating disorder and addiction and it was ok to talk about his mental health issues. Following an appearance on ITVS This Morning in September 2016, Steve broke down when discussing his mental health. The relief of admitting it publicly was liberating. Very soon he received a diagnosis of Borderline personality disorder and made the conscious decision to highlight his condition. Steve now is an advocate of child obesity awareness and men's mental illness, steve recently also was given a membership of anational obesity forum for his campaign work,in 2014 steve lost a friend to obesity ,his friend was so big that he was bed bound steve was trying to get him out ,when steve finaly got him help he died,,,even though steve went through depression and sucide steve has not given up about loseing weight.., michelle said when his friend died all steve wanted to do was just hide away from people he keprt saying he failed ,steve usely helps people who dont leave their home and take them to sommerset to give them a break and to help to get them out in the world ,see many dont what he doses i hope the book will help orthers as he has helped a few people to deal with their weight stigma For many years Stephen Beer was afraid to go out of his front door; frightened to leave his home for fear of what people would say about his weight. He regularly faced physical and verbal abuse when he walked down the street, which left him feeling suicidal. Stephen says, "I am regularly mocked and abused because of my weight. From name calling to being spat on ...it is horrible and most people don't realise how much it hurts. Unless you've been through it yourself, people don't understand the impact of discrimination." Stephen has experienced a number of health issues over the years. His most recent trip to the hospital after suffering a heart attack left him feeling demoralised with the health service. He was left waiting for treatment because he was told he wouldn't fit in any of the beds and the hospital had to order to a suitable bed for him. He says, "Much of my experience with doctors and hospitals has left me feeling like some staff are against me. There is a stigma that because of my weight I'm no good. There aren’t chairs available that I can sit on in the doctor’s waiting room or the right sized beds available in the hospital. There can be little understanding of the issues that people with obesity regularly face." Stephen is determined not to give up. He is now an obesity campaigner, running a Facebook group to support other people with obesity and travel the country talking about mental health and obesity