Life

Mike,
As the father of a 17 year old son who decided to do the same thing you have contemplated(and succeeding) I can tell you there is no worse way out of whatever is hurting you know. I am glad to see(after reading this thread) that you have seeked help and have so much support here on this board. To those on this board I salute you for getting involved.
These days are harder than ever for teens and the peer pressure is unbelievable. 10 years ago when Joey(my son) took his life, suicide was THE leading cause of death among caucasian teenage male. Six months after Joey's suicide death his best friend Paul committed suicideand in a period of 1 year the circle of friends and schools involved saw 8 suicide deaths among teens. It's an unbelievable stat that just shouldn't be but is. I spent a couple of years working with the education community in seminars, etc. to try to help deal with the problem on a state level to try to curb this issue. I hope that I had some effect on prevention as the devastation and hurt left behind those who chose this route is unbelieveable.
If anyone hears of someone contemplating suicide please reach out and talk to that person(just as many of you did here) and if anyone here ever contemplates this move please reach out, believe me when I say "you are not alone." JMT.