LOOK AT ME NOW WORLD!!!!!

Hey guys,
Well it's been two and a half years since I last posted on here as a miserable and lost soul.So thought I'd post a positive update.
Briefly a bit about me and my history.I'm a 29 year old guy.I've lived with mental illness for 10years starting with experiences of depression and progressing to having agorophobia and panic disorder.For 9 of those years I also battled with drug and alcohol addiction.After a complete physical and mental breakdown as a result of my alcohol abuse, I had my last drink on the morning of August 10 2009. It's been the hardest two years of my life since, but also the most rewarding.With the help of drug and alcohol counselling, medication, and love and support from friends and family, I'm a new person. I still live with mental illness and still deal with it everyday, and am by no means 'cured', but I now have hope, and an everclearing mind and spirit.
For me, two things have been a massive help in my journey-art and fitness.
Firstly, art. My creative voice is my main form of therapy, and last year I was lucky enough to be awarded a Media Grant from the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.I'm nearing the completion of 15 paintings to be exhibited in November, exploring the link between alcohol abuse and experience of mental illness-you can check out them out on my blog- creationsofdylan.tumblr.com
Secondly,fitness.I was never really into physical activity growing up.By the age of 27 I was extremely unhealthy-aswell as daily heavy drinking, I was a pack a day smoker and lived on a diet of high fat/sugar foods. Luckily for me, as I began recovery, I happened to live near a small gym, so I wearily joined. I've found exercise a MASSIVE help in the management of anxiety and the feel-good endorphins are a great natural high. My addictive personality kind of found a new addiction-exercise!. So much so that I was the first New Zealander to be featured in the 'before and after' section of Australian Mens Fitness magazine last year. You can see my one of my transformation stories/pictures here http://www.formhealth.co.nz/testimonials/98-dylan-keys-transformation.html

I'm still learning everyday, but if I can do it, anybody can. Everyday we have choices and with each decision we can go one of two ways-choose the positive one as much as you can and slowly but surely it'll add up

Peace and love
Dylan Keys

Congratulations!!
This is the coolest thing I've read all day.
Can I ask what your starting and current weights are?
Is Le expensive? How often do you meet with her and what do you have to pay?

Your story has really motivated me - thanks.
Long may your success continue.

Thanks for that Jaffakiwi!
Le was a trainer at my old gym who helped me at the start so I wrote her a testimonial as a thankyou.She only works at the local gym so helping you in palmy would prove difficult!
But any decent qualified personal trainer would do exactly the same thing-they are there to help and share information with you.You just have to be willing to put in the hard work.You truely do get out what you put in There's also a tonne of information online if you really want to make physical changes-apart from the initial guidance from my trainer I've pretty much taught myself and learnt as I go by just reading alot, and trial and error.I'm still learning everyday but it's a fun journey.
My starting weight was 84kg,about 30% body fat!(I'm only 172cm),I lost 21kg and got down to 63kg,8% bodyfat.Then started focussing more on weight training to bulk up and have managed to put back on about 15kg lean muscle and currently weigh 81kg.
Go for it!!!

Congratulations Dylan!

And thank you for sharing part of your journey here, with all of us.

I have just been to your blog site and your art has somewhat disarmed me today. Possibly because I have travelled a similar journey and the last few weeks have been particularly hard and yet satisfying for me. Your art has connected to some of that for me, thank you.

And again, well done!

Thanks ZenMonsta,
I was just looking at some posts that I must have put up on here nearly three years ago when I was in a really bad way-and I think you encouraged me then-to attend my drug and alcohol councelling and to keep trying when I couldn't see a way out of the darkness I had been trapped in for nearly 10years.So it is with satisfaction I can write this today-sober and recovering in body and mind, and say Thankyou for your kind words of encouragement back then!-you should feel good that your words helped comforted a total stranger!!.
I'm glad some of my art was able to connect with you-in any way.They can be challenging for the viewer-but I paint my truths, and that isn't always going to be pretty unfortunately!
Thanks again
Peace and love
Dylan

Thank you Dylan,

I do feel good that you found some comfort in whatever small thing I said back then

Its really heartening to know that we, who have been so low can now be doing so well ... and its one of the important reasons I return to TBBD however infrequently, because people need to hear that there can be light at the end of the tunnel.

Absolutely agreed!