“Unfortunately in 2016,
at the age of only 44,
Craig took his own life
after struggling to cope
with his tinnitus and the
associated insomnia and
anxiety he suffered.”
drumming, DJing in clubs and also listening to music as an
avid gig and club goer since the age of 14.
“However, I now know I never truly appreciated or
understood the effect tinnitus had on his life until after his
tragic death in 2016.
“When we were on the road, touring, driving the length
and breadth of the country on what we lovingly called the
‘fun bus’, we would all gather in the lounge for some post
gig drinks, watch a film and listen to music to relax. One by
one we would drift off to our bunks for some well-deserved
sleep before starting over again the next day.
“Craig was always the last to go to bed, often this was
as we were getting up for the next day, and would rest just
for a few hours. I never understood how he managed this
day in, day out, without realising it wasn’t solely down to
choice. Sleep did not generally come easy to Craig due to
his tinnitus.
“Unfortunately in 2016, at the age of only 44, Craig took
his own life after struggling to cope with his tinnitus and
the associated insomnia and anxiety he suffered. This was
devastating for us and all his family and friends.
“It was only after Craig’s death that I began to find
out more and more of how tinnitus seriously affected his
life and the daily struggle he had trying to manage the
symptoms.
“I decided to do more to raise awareness to other
musicians about the damage over exposure to loud music
could cause and ultimately the effect this can have on your
mental health. The easiest way of doing this of course is by
wearing ear plugs when playing or listening to music. As a
way to help, I started the ‘PlugIn2017’ page on Twitter.
“Through PlugIn, I have discovered much more about
the amount of support that’s already available that I wasn’t
previously aware of, particularly from the British Tinnitus
Association (BTA) who I am looking forward to working
more closely with over the coming months.
“As part of this, I am supporting the BTA’s Share Your
Sound campaign, which hopes to encourage people to open
up about tinnitus and push out the message that support
is available for those who need it. I don’t want anyone to
deal with this terrible condition alone, so it is vital sufferers
feel they can talk about it to their friends and family, get in
touch with the BTA, and most importantly, see their GP so
they can be signposted to the right places.
“Helping GPs to become more knowledgeable about the
condition is also an important part of the campaign, so we
hope people will download the BTA Share Your Sound pack
and take it to their GP so they have the most up-to-date
advice on how to treat tinnitus patients.
“Our lives changed forever when Craig died and I want
to make sure I do all I can to help others who have tinnitus
get the help they need.”
To find out more about Share Your Sound and to download the
tinnitus images or a GP tinnitus pack to share with your GP,
please visit www.tinnitus.org.uk/sys.
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