Wolverhampton man who beat 17-year addiction to climb Snowdon for suicide-bereaved families
Seven years clean, Adam Whittingham has helped more than 1,000 people through his mental health community H2F
A Wolverhampton man who spent 17 years battling addiction is today celebrating seven years clean, and marking it by leading a group of suicide-bereaved families to the top of Snowdon.
Adam Whittingham founded Hopeless 2 Focused (H2F) after being failed by the system he turned to for help. “I rang for help once and I’m still waiting for that call,” he says. He built the support he never received, starting with a single TikTok video where he spoke openly about his mental health. It grew into a community of thousands and is now a registered Community Interest Company that has supported more than 1,000 people.
On August 28, Adam will lead members of the H2F community, including people who have lost loved ones to suicide, to the summit of Snowdon. At the top, each will have the chance to read aloud messages written in memory of those they have lost.
Adam’s own recovery came after years of addiction that began in childhood as a way of coping with abuse. In his own words: “I survived childhood traumas and sexual abuse. I’ve come from insanity and years of mental torture, pity and disgust. Relentlessly navigating my way through my darkness, I finally found the light. My past has given me the opportunity to be a lighthouse, that strong tower that forever gets bashed yet stands strong, shining its light for those who are lost in the dark.”
H2F now offers 1-to-1 mentoring, wellbeing workshops, men’s and women’s groups, guided breathwork, hiking and a WhatsApp support community. Demand has grown so fast that qualified practitioners have joined to help. Adam is also travelling to Tuscany to train for a breathwork diploma aimed at helping people process trauma.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to fund the training and expand H2F’s resources. To support it, head to: gofund.me/07fbdd5a4