Getty Zac & Tayshia During Happier Times
When Zac Clark was on Tayshia Adams’ season of “The Bachelorette,” he was open about his past problems with addiction and other mental health issues. As can be seen in the clip below, Clark knows what it’s like to feel “hopeless” and “in a bad place.” (WATCH below):
Zac Clark Has Been Through A Lot
As the winner of “The Bachelorette” season 16, Clark thought he and Adams had a bright future together. However, the couple didn’t make it. It has been reported that Adams was the one who broke up with Clark, however the couple remains tight-lipped about the details.
Many fans feared that the breakup would cause Clark to spiral back into the “dark place” that he talked about on “The Bachelorette.” However, Us Weekly reported in February, 2022, “Through all the ups and downs, Clark has managed to stay focused on his career and maintained his sobriety.”
Clark has not only stayed focused and sober since the breakup, but he has used his suffering to help other people who are experiencing addiction and mental health problems. According to a May 24, 2022 article in Forbes, Clark helped organize a college tour called “Keep Going,” which took place between April 25 and April 30, 2022. The tour took place on the cusp of National Mental Health Awareness Month, which is in May.
Clark Wants Others to “Keep Going”
The tour involved Clark and other members of the Release Recovery Foundation that he co-founded, traveling to college communities in six states: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. On the second day of the tour, Clark visited his alma mater, York College of Pennsylvania, according to the University’s website.
Forbes explains, “The goal of the tour was to raise awareness about various mental health and addiction issues among college students and the mental health resources that are available. Each tour stop kicked off with Clark sharing his own perspectives and experiences with those students and community members in attendance, followed by a short run/walk with everyone.”
Clark interacted with many of the attendees and got them to open up about the problems they were experiencing. Some of the most common issues brought up were isolation, loneliness and feeling unattractive. The students also felt like there was nowhere to go for help. This is exactly the reason tours like “Keep Going” are necessary, Clark told Forbes.
People need to feel comfortable seeking help. Clark explained that many people think “If you see a therapist, you are not cool. You are weak if you ask for help, if you talk about feelings.” Clark wants to change that perception, because, he told Forbes, getting help was “the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”
“Keep Going” was launched in response to what has been called “a mental health crisis,” according to Forbes. The article mentions a 2012 study by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) “which revealed that 73% had experienced some type of mental health crisis during college.” The full study can be read here.
The problems have only worsened since COVID-19. The pandemic has brought the issue into the spotlight, but mental health problems have been a long-standing concern on college campuses, Forbes reports.
Clark has been fighting for mental health awareness and recovery for years. His own recovery from drugs and depression “led him to co-found with Justin Gurland in 2017 a New York-based addiction and mental health recovery program called Release Recovery. This program has since spawned a 501(c)3 nonprofit: the Release Recovery Foundation.” It is the foundation that sponsored the “Keep Going” tour, which not only spread awareness, but “also helped raise money for a Release Recovery Foundation college scholarship fund designed to assist students who are seeking treatment for addiction recovery and mental health issues,” declares Forbes.