I’ve never done an article like this before. I’ve written 774 articles (including this one) on this website in 4 years and never once got really personal about anything.
Now, don’t get me wrong, the Arrowverse has some fantastic highs but also some terrible lows. The latter is seemingly more apparent, especially in recent years.
I got into the Arrowverse in perhaps the saddest way possible. In July 2013, I attempted to kill myself. I overdosed on a cocktail of God knows what when it came to drugs. I was almost successful. What followed from there was perhaps the worst time of my life.
During the rest of 2013 and most of 2014, I was a mess. My mental health took a huge battering to the point I just didn’t want to live anymore.
Anyway, fast forward to November 2014. I remember going out to a party, drinking – just trying to drown out the horrors of my life. It somewhat helped to be drunk all of the time, basically a borderline alcoholic at that stage too.
After that night, I got home – still living with my parents. I was lying in bed completely and utterly hungover. I still remember the brutality of that hangover, it was grim. I began to scroll through Netflix feeling sorry for myself.
I stumbled across The Flash. This was weirdly on Netflix for us in the UK at the time. I watched the first episode and I became engrossed. It was further fuelled when Arrow appeared in the first episode, so I being intrigued decided to check him out only to realize he has his own show.
Now, I’ve always been a nerd but never really showcased it. I just enjoyed the odd Marvel and Star Wars film. This changed. I then began watching Arrow as the first season happened before The Flash season 1 so I wanted to see what it was all about.
This is going to sound ridiculous but these 2 shows gave me a purpose. Something to look forward to as I forgot what that felt like. I know it’s only a couple of CW shows but these are the shows that gave me something to do. It’s also because of these shows I met one of my best friends. It’s also the 2 shows that I got my (now) wife to watch when we just got together.
Ultimately, these were the beginning of my life’s turnaround. I got a job a couple of months after, I sorted myself out. I became a BETTER person and I still believe that now. I’m thankful for the shows. I’m thankful that it’s just 2 CW shows that saved my entire life.